TradeUp Tuesday: Kashi GiveAway
Welcome to TradeUp Tuesday, a weekly feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries, where I talk about TradeUps I’ve made and give away free stuff. Today’s Topic: Kashi! Ask anyone who is focused on living and eating healthfully to tell you some of their favorite brands and Kashi is sure to come up. When I first started blogging about NuVal, the students in my Pilates class wanted to know, “How does Kashi score?” Great question! And the answer is, “it depends on which Kashi you mean.” There are some Kashi products that are NuVal Rock Stars, scoring among the highest in their categories. And then there are some Kashi products that score lower than you might think.
Let’s take Kashi cereal products for starters:
Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereal Puffs 91
Kashi GoLean High Protein and High Fiber Cereal 47
Kashi Go Lean Crunch 33
Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes 29
Kashi Good Friends 26
Kashi Strawberry Fields 11
Are those good scores or bad scores? Well, cereals range from 4 – 100 on the NuVal scale and the median score (half score above it, half score below it) is a 25. So, I try to aim for cereals that score above a 25. Most people think that Kashi Good Friends score better than they do. And that Kashi Strawberry Fields is quite low. You would be better off choosing Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies which get a score of 13.
How about the products in this week’s GiveAway?
Well, you already know that Kashi Go Lean scores a 47. Kashi 7 Whole Grain Nuggets score lower – only a 28. Hmmm. those nuggest might be best served as a sprinkle for your non-fat Greek yogurt rather than as a whole bowl of cereal. The Kashi TLC Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookies are my favorite treat. They score a 24, which is great for a cookie. The median score for cookies is only a 3. I also love the Kashi TLC Dark Mocha Almond Granola bars, which score a 29. Can you tell that I like chocolate?
So, I guess the moral of the story is to choose your Kashi (and all your products, really) carefully. Don’t assume that one brand makes only highly nutritious products. It’s not always the case.
To enter today’s GiveAway:
One lucky winner will get all 4 Kashi products plus a NuVal T-shirt!!! All you need to do is leave a comment below and I’ll randomly select one after 11:59 PM Eastern time tonight. Just tell me about one product that has a NuVal score that surprised you. For ideas, check out nuval.com, A Better Bag of Groceries, Trading Up Downtown or Nutrition Outlook. Be sure to check back here tomorrow to see if you’re the winner!
Posted by: Melissa 67 comments
Posted in: Kashi, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Kashi
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:09 am
The low score of Grape Nuts really surprised me! I ate those for years thinking they were choc full of vitamins.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Looking to trade up my kellogs granola bars for something healthier. I’ll tell my friends, too!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:19 am
I was surprised that Arnolds WW Sandwich Thins didn’t have a higher score than a 33. I know bread doesn’t usually do well, but I had convinced myself those were the perfect choice!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Shredded wheat is a powerhouse
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:40 am
I was shocked by the score of grape nuts, i’m switching up for sure!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:40 am
Definitely going to be looking into my cereal options, I love Kashi and will give the puffs a try!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:57 am
I agree, granola bars are really surprising, I’m definitely going to try and trade up or make my own to improve the NuVal score!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 8:06 am
I was really surprised by Strawberry Fields low score, I had actually switched to it because I thought it would have been healthier simply because it was Kashi, that’s really interesting…NuVal is definitely helping me keep score!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Definitely the Kashi scores came as a surprise, I’ll be sure to trade up, I’m thinking about trying shredded wheat and adding some blueberries into the mix…
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 8:29 am
the almonds post yesterday blew my mind away!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 8:56 am
I’m surprised to learn that the Kashi Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cookie gets such a high score! It is my favorite treat!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 9:00 am
I am a big fan of the Dark Mocha Almond Granola bars so I’m glad they have a decent score!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 9:26 am
I recently traded up to the Kashi puffs with banana…. so good!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Thanks for sharing the scores with us! I don’t eat Kashi very often, but good to know:)
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Some of the Kashi scores suprised me, especially the Strawberry Fields cereal.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 9:53 am
Kashi products are my all time favorite. One score that surprised me was the difference in the Barilla Plus Angel Hair Pasta (91) and their regular angel hair which was only a 61. Those nutrients rocks!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 9:58 am
I am pleasantly suprised to know that most, if not all fresh veggies have a very high score!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:12 am
I just started eating Kashi Go Lean Crunch, but will give the whole grain cereal puffs a go! Thank you for helping make wiser choices!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Couldn’t be more excited that avocados have a score of 89! I put slices on my sandwiches, in my eggs, on top of white chili, with cheese… Mmmm.
Totally bummed out about the Kashi Strawberry fields
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:30 am
I was surprised by the low score of Van’s Gluten-Free Waffles .
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:32 am
I was surprised at how high my beloved greek yogurt scored – 91! Yay!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:41 am
I love, love Kashi!! And a NuVal t-shirt – how stylish
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I was surprised that Silk Light Soy Milk Chocolate Milk got a lower score than Silk Soy Milk Chocolate.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:42 am
The Kashi granola bar is surprising to me. I love the Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit and Grain bar and eat that as my morning snack almost every day at work. I hope that one is a 29 like the dark mocha almond.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:51 am
I traded up from Far East Couscous to Hodgson Mills Couscous. Big difference in score plus price as well.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:07 am
I love Kashi Products and I wish that they had NuVal at the grocery stores around me so that I could trade up my breakfasts and snacks!!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:08 am
I’ve traded up to those cookies! Sooo good, I’d love to win some!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:13 am
I was surprised at the Grapenuts….I’ve traded up to Kashi Nuggets!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:17 am
wow, I just bought the Good Friends cereal, thinking it was just as good as the higher scoring Kashi cereals! Looks like I’ll be going back to the GoLean cereal after this box. That probably counts as a TradeDown, and then a TradeUp haha. Thanks for the scores!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:18 am
trading up ground beef for turkey!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:22 am
i was surprised to see my beloved avocados so high on the list! i know they’re healthy, but for some reason i thought that the high fat content (even though it’s goooood fat) would keep it a bit lower in the NuVal scores.
good news for me!
and a GREAT giveaway
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:24 am
I have traded up my normal frozen dinners that I would normally take for lunch at work to the Kashi frozen dinners. At home we have also started having Kashi frozen pizza’s instead of ordering out. My family loves them!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:33 am
I thought the Kashi Good Friends would be much higher than it is. I love all of the Kashi products!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:39 am
I was surprise to find coconut with such a low score of 24! Arghh I love coconut!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Well the ELEVEN for the strawberry fields definitely surprises me. Another thing that really surprised me about that cereal was the misinformation on the serving sizes! The weight they have listed for “one serving” (one cup) is way less than what one cup actually weighs. Not a huge deal.. but I didn’t expect that from Kashi
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:41 am
I still can’t get over Annie’s Mac & Cheese!! I thought it would be so much better than all the Kraft versions, but I guess not
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:45 am
I love all things Kashi!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:49 am
I was surprised to see that Maranatha’s Almond Butter only scored a 24. I would have thought it would be higher than that.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:52 am
I was surprised GoLean Crunch was actually that high!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I have to say, I was surprised to see Kashi Strawberry Fields at 11. I wouldn’t have expected it to be REALLY high, but I would have expected it to be at least average. On the positve side, I’m surprised Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereal Puffs scored a 91! I figured it was good, but that is an OUTSTANDING cereal score!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:59 am
I was surprised the Kashi Strawberry cereal scored so low. Otherwise I absolutely LOVE Kashi! Great giveaway!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
I was surprised at how low instant oatmeal is, I traded up to hot oat bran cereal.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
I was surprised the Annie’s macaroni & cheese was so low (score of 5), I always assumed that was a much better choice than Kraft!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I thought Kashi Strawberry would score higher. I’m surprised they even make one that scores this low!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Very happy to see that greek yogurt scored so high! I love that stuff!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I was surprised by the Puffins NuVal score for sure!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
I love Kashi! I’d like to know how the Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal scores.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Love Kashi! I was totally surprised about ‘roasted’ almonds made at home vs. commercially prepared! Will definitely start roasting my own and trying new spices.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereal Puffs score of 91 surprised me!! I saw this score for the first time on one of Tina’s blogs and I was surprised it was that high. I have been using Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereal Puffs for I think almost a year now. I like add it to other things like oatmeal to “puff” it up so I am really excited about the score.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
The Kashi TLC Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookies score was suprising. I knew the cookies were better than your average cookie…but I had no idea that they would score so high above the median score for cookies.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
What you said about roasted almonds yesterday really surprised me. I never would have guessed that buying them roasted meant additional ingredients had been added
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I was surprised by the low score of coconuts. Only 24, but it is natural fruit. I still am a little confused by this one.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
I love Kashi, especially their cookies which score pretty well! Yay!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Is there such a thing as a negative NuVal score? Because I’m pretty sure the cereal my kids have on the shelf score in the negative numbers. We do have original Cheerios and Life though!! And I bought Kashi for the first time a few weeks ago…so this was VERY interesting to me. The GoLean high protein and high fiber cereal is kind of tasteless and a little hard to choke down but I like the GoLean Crunch…..so I’ll take a 33! Now I need my kids to back away from the Cinnamon Toast Crunch and move toward Kashi!!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Wow, I was really surprised about the range in the seafood ratings. I wonder why lobster is so much lower than the others? Thanks for the giveaway!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Still warming up to all this scoring, but I do love Kashi in general and think is has some really great healthy products!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
I was surprised that pineapple scored a 99! I thought it might have too much sugar to rate that high.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I loved that the Kashi Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Kashi cookies scored so high. I bought them for me and my boyfriend even eats them and enjoys them!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
So happy to see that greek yogurt scores so high! This is such a wonderful concept that (in a very short time) has already changed my focus on my grocery store trips. Thank you!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
The Kashi scores came as a surprise, I’ll be sure to trade up soon!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I was unpleasantly surprised by the Go Lean Crunch score. It’s not a horrible score, but I thought it’d be a superstar.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
love the nuvall concept, April just shared your blog w/me…love it! The spinach salad recipe looks great.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
the strawbery kashi cereal disappointed me
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
I’d love to try the Dark Chocolate Almond granola bars especially! I’ve never seen them in my local stores before.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
I love plain greek yogurt and its high score!
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
I was happy to see Over The Moon milk with such a great score.
on Feb 9th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I was surprised that broccoli got a perfect 100 Nuval rating – who would have thought such a yummy veggie could be so darn good for you?!
on Feb 10th, 2010 at 12:16 am
I love Kashi, although I know some of their products may not rate as high as I’d like, I think everything in moderation is the key. And hey, you can’t beat their cookies!