Oh Nuts!
Healthy living bloggers everywhere are blogging about NuVal! One of my favorite posts was published last week by Jen who blogs at Healthy Laps. Jen lives in Boston but took the time to drive all the way out to Marlborough, MA to check out NuVal at a Price Chopper store. I’ve been working for NuVal for a year and a half now and blogging about NuVal since July of last year, and still Jen managed to shock me! That’s the way NuVal works. You’re always finding out something new.
You see, Jen took a picture of my favorite roasted unsalted almonds. Now, the score for plain almonds is an 81. So, I thought that by buying the roasted unsalted version, I would be choosing almonds with the same score. I mean, they even say “No Guilt” on the top of the container. Boy was I wrong! The roasted unsalted almonds only score 48! Oh no! All this time I thought I was being so virtuous!
Right away, I checked in with Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN and Nutrition Communications Manager for NuVal. She investigated the almonds for me. Apparently those roasted unsalted almonds contain some peanut oil. Who knew?
I went home and checked out the label. Yup, there it is – peanut oil. And some other oils too!
Now, if I had a store with NuVal on the grocery shelves, I never would have fallen into this trap. The products would be clearly marked with the NuVal score. I can’t wait until I have those scores handy!
So, now I knew that I had to buy raw almonds and roast them myself. And that meant that this weekend, I undertook the Great Almond Experiment. It was a little like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
All three times, I put the almonds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and added nothing – no salt, no oil.
The first time (at 450 degrees for about 13 minutes), they came out too burned.
The second time (at 45o degrees for about 7 minutes), they were still too raw and chewy.
Finally, the third time (at 450 degrees for exactly 9 minutes), I got it just right.
This last time, I took them out of the oven as soon as I could smell them. Once they were out, I loved hearing them crackle as they cooled. I have to admit, they still are not as tasty as the Roasted Unsalted Almonds I was buying. A little oil makes everything taste yummy. But I am thankful to Jen for spotting this little NuVal fact at Price Chopper. A little knowledge goes a long way.
Question of the Day
What surprises has NuVal uncovered for you? For ideas, check out nuval.com, Trading Up Downtown, or Nutrition Outlook.
Posted by: Melissa 6 comments
Posted in: almonds
Tags: healthy living bloggers
on Feb 8th, 2010 at 8:21 am
I love to roast almonds! In fact, I roast all of my almonds and then store them in individual serving sizes so I don’t over do it.
My biggest NuVal shock (as well as the dietitian in my store) was that coconut oil scored a 1. I bought it anyway
on Feb 8th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Yikes! Just checked my almonds (from Wegmans – no Nuval here yet!) and they are dry roasted – no oil, yay! – but have salt! How did I miss that?! Love your blog. I just wish I had Nuval here in Northern VA!
on Feb 8th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Thanks for tackling the Great Almond Experiment and sharing your results!
on Feb 8th, 2010 at 10:49 am
What great incentive to roast your own nuts! I think it makes the house smell amazing, too.
on Feb 8th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
[...] 8, 2010 by Jen Check out the post on A Better Bag of Groceries from today! Melissa liked my post on NuVal last week, so she talks about some of my [...]
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
I am wondering if NuVal takes into account the pasteurization of the nut in its calculations. As a raw foodist I’ve always been led to believe that raw almonds are better for your body because they are full of live enzymes that are destroyed during the pasteurization process. Advice?