This weekend, my friend (a NuVal newbie) and I were discussing my next blog post while we supervised our kids swimming in the pool. It went like this:
Me: I think I'll write about Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. They get a pretty good score, you know. They get a 24.
My Friend: A 24? That's not a good score! That's low!
Me: No, no! A 24 is really good when you're talking about crackers.
Anyway, this exchange reminded me that I need to inform my readers that you can't get 100 in every category. See, here's the deal: many fruits and vegetables score in the 90 - 100 range. Skim milk does too. But you also need to eat protein and grains, etc. And then there are treats. You're not going to find a cookie that scores a 100 (nor would you want to eat one if you did). So, when you're talking about crackers, the scores range from 2 - 87. The median score (half score above it, half score below it) for crackers is a 14.
With all that said, let's get back to Goldfish - a staple in ever toddler's diet. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cheddar score a 24. Annie's Cheddar Bunnies get a 6. That is not a typo - that is a 6! Not everything in the organic/healthy section of your grocery store is nutritious.
Now that my kids are getting bigger and they are eating A LOT of crackers with all the swimming they've been doing, I've been tempted to move on to something a little more mature than Goldfish. Like Cheez Its. My kids love Sponge Bob Cheez Its (so much for maturity). They get a 15, slightly better than Original Cheez-Its which get a 13. I could try to get them to eat Keebler Townhouse Bistro Multigrain Crackers. Don't they just sound so up-scale and healthy? They score a 2!
So I guess we'll be eating Goldfish for a while!
Here are some other cracker scores:
Nabisco Triscuit 29
Kashi TLC 7 Grain Crackers 27
Annie's Cheddar Bunnies Whole Wheat 27
Sunshine Reduced Fat Cheez Its 23
Nabisco Wheat Thins 23
Nabisco Cheese Nips Reduced Fat Cheddar 9
You can see more cracker scores at http://www.nuval.com/Pages/ScoreCrackers.aspx
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Like a waterfall in slow motion, Part One
2 years ago
Who knew?! I just bought the Annie's bunnies thinking that they were a better alternative to goldfish. So how does Annie's score on the Mac and Cheese ratings?
ReplyDeleteThis is very helpful information. I don't have kids yet but this is just helpful when I have my neices and nephews come to visit. It is suprising all the differences that you list. Thanks Blog Mom!
ReplyDeleteKit -
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you find this information helpful. NuVal is scoring virtually all products found in grocery stores - but we haven't scored Mac and Cheese just yet. That is on the schedule for later this year. I'll be waiting with baited breath!
Great information Blog Mom - I just checked out the NuVal Web Site - excellent way to baseline the products you use at home and make some healthier substitutes. Can't wait for more product listings and for NuVal to come to a supermarket in my area!!!
ReplyDeleteOrganic cheddar bunnies are so good! I buy the organic kind unless i buy the white cheddar since they don't have organic. They taste just like goldfish maybe even better and they are healthier. Goldfish have rennet so if you're a vegetarian who just found that out buy cheddar bunnies they taste the same but better!
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