It’s that time of year again: hot cocoa time!
I love those little packets of chocolate powder than instantly turn into a warm mug of hot cocoa, but I always thought they didn’t provide much nutrition (if any). I figured all of my favorite brands scored a 1 or a 2 on the NuVal scale. I mean, aren’t they just sugar?
For the most part, most hot cocoa on the market is just sugar, so they score pretty low on the NuVal scale, but there are several varieties that are either fortified with vitamins and/or have no sugar added, which brings up their score and make them a more nutritious hot cocoa option.
Check out these scores:
- Ghirardelli White Mocha Premium Hot Cocoa Chocolate (NuVal score: 1)
- Nestle Hot Cocoa Mix Milk Chocolate Flavor (NuVal score: 2)
- Land O Lakes Chocolate Graham Hot Cocoa Mix (NuVal score: 3)
- Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix with Marshmallows (NuVal score: 8 )
- Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets No Sugar Added (NuVal score: 14)
- Swiss Miss Great Start Hot Cocoa Mix (NuVal score: 22)
- Nestle Fat Free Rich Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix (NuVal score: 25)
- Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder (NuVal score: 29)
- Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Diet – 25 Calories Hot Cocoa (NuVal score: 33)
What’s your favorite kind of hot cocoa?
Last week, I appeared on The Dr. Oz Show for a “healthy” cookie recipe that I created at home. (I know, I’m just as surprised as you are!) I traveled to the NBC Studios in New York City for the taping of the holiday-themed episode.
The day was exciting and jam-packed, so I never really had a chance to eat. By the time, I got to Penn Station to take the train home, my stomach was seriously growling, so I grabbed a salad for dinner. In it was romaine lettuce, broccoli, beets, artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and tomatoes– and it was awesome!
Once I finished eating my salad, I decided that I needed to recreate it at home– it was that delicious! As I was plotting my recreation, I realized that the salad ingredients were a combination of fresh and canned. Working at NuVal, I’ve learned that if you look for canned vegetables with low- or no-sodium, they can be just as nutritious as the fresh kind.
Here’s what’s in my recreated salad:
- Romaine lettuce (NuVal score: 100)
- Broccoli (NuVal score: 100)
- Tomatoes (NuVal score: 96)
- Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans No Salt Added (NuVal score: 100)
- PriceChopper Sliced Beets No Salt Added (NuVal score: 99)
- Mezzetta Marinated Artichoke Hears (NuVal score: 30)
As you can see, all of these salad ingredients– even those from cans– score high on the NuVal scale. The Mezzetta Marinated Artichoke Hearts score much lower than the others, but I used the oils and seasoning as my salad dressing. If you want to trade-up the the artichoke hearts, try the frozen variety. Bird’s Eye Fresh Frozen Artichoke Hearts get a 99 on the NuVal scale!
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it– from the colorful fall foliage and cool, crisp air to the plethora of comfort foods that go hand-in-hand with the season. I’m talking apple crisp, turkey stuffing, homemade chili, pumpkin pie, and even the in-season vegetables. (Can you say “sweet potatoe wedges“?!)
Here are three of my favorite fall vegetables that I just can’t get enough of right now. They taste delicious and can be prepared in a variety of ways– and the best part: they score 100 on the NuVal scale!
Butternut Squash (NuVal score: 100)
Butternut squash contains many different nutrients, such as vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. Each cup of cubed butternut squash provides approximately 60 calories, 16 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber. It also supplies almost 300 percent of your daily value of vitamin A, 50 percent of vitamin C, 7 percent of calcium and 5 percent of iron. [source]
Recipes to try: Roasted Butternut Squash & Butternut Squash Soup
Beets (NuVal score: 100)
Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach. They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.While the sweet beet root has some of the minerals in its greens to a lesser degree, it is also a remarkable source of choline, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates in the form of natural digestible sugars. [source]
Recipes to try: Shaved Baby Beets with Greens & Beet Chips
Cauliflower (NuVal score: 100)
A 1/2-cup measure of cooked cauliflower contains 27.5 mg of ascorbic acid, more commonly known as vitamin C. This amount equals almost 50 percent of the daily recommended intake for this vitamin. The University of Maryland Medical Center describes vitamin C as an essential nutrient for the absorption of iron and to maintain and heal tissues within the body, particularly connective tissues, such as tendons and ligaments, as well as teeth and gums. Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant that helps to reduce the levels of harmful chemicals within the body that can damage cells within tissues. [source]
Recipes to try: Cauliflower Sauce Whole Wheat Penne & Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
Developed by an independent panel of nutrition and medical experts, the 