Trade-Up Tuesday: Starbucks Coffee
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a very popular day here on A Better Bag of Groceries because I talk about a Trade Up I’ve made and I give away free stuff.
I know you’re all dying to see what the NuVal score is on coffee…..
Oh, how I wish it was a 100. I’d even take a 50. But the truth is that it doesn’t have a score! You see, while NuVal is scoring virtually everything you find in a grocery store, there are a few categories that we are not scoring. Namely, we are not scoring the following:
- Cooking Sprays
- Teas
- Coffees
- Some spices
- Vinegar
- Salt
- Baking Soda
Now, this gets a little complicated, but basically we are not scoring products if they meet one of the following criteria:
- It is not a meaningful source of calories
- There is no inter-changeable choice
- Nutrition Facts Panel and ingredient information is not readily available
So, we are not scoring coffee. But, as you know, on Tuesdays, I always give away products that I now buy since I started working at NuVal. And I must tell you that since coming to NuVal, I drink more coffee anddarker coffee than I did before. It has actually started a little coffee war in our house. My husband is happy brewing up some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Not me – I need something with a little more oooomph. Thankfully, Dunkin’ has now come out with Dunkin’ Dark and we can agree on that. However, this Starbucks (with no NuVal score!) does find its way into my shopping cart on a very frequent basis!
I would say that I am addicted to coffee since:
- The sight of a Starbucks franchise makes me crave coffee.
- By the end of my 5:45 am workout, all I can think about is the cup of coffee I am going to have when I get home (you would think I would be thinking about water!)
- I start to think about my morning coffee when headed to bed the night before.
One footnote I would like to add on the No Scoring List is that while we are not currently scoring teas, eventually we will. My NuVal Scoring Intel has informed me that because teas have lots of bioflavanoids, we will score them – just not yet.
In the meantime, I will be brewing up a nice pot of Starbucks!
To Enter:
One lucky reader will win this bag of Starbucks coffee. Just leave a comment below telling me your #1 product that you would LOVE to see scored. I will choose a winner at random at 8 am Eastern Time on Wednesday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa 46 comments
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 7:48 am
I’d like to see milks scored–the differences between cow, almond, soy and rice milk are confusing to me
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 8:14 am
WOuld love to see a comparison between fresh and frozen and canned produce
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 9:00 am
i love that nuval is starting to score tea and coffee!!! that is important stuff :]
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 9:11 am
I’d like to see more scoring of seafood like fresh fish and shellfish.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 9:21 am
I buy a lot of bulk grains like oatmeal, brown rice, wheat germ, couscous, etc. from the bulk bins at Whole Foods. Is there anyway to score those? I love the NuVal scores at Meijer…they help me make better choices when it comes to pasta, sauces, canned goods, etc.
P.S. I hear you on the coffee…love it, love it, love it!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 9:22 am
i would like to see kashi heart to heart cereal scored! thanks melissa
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Teas would be great! I’d really like to see how my Whole Wheat Annie’s Shells & Cheese compares to the original.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 9:36 am
I would love to see fast food scored! I mean, really, sometimes you’re in a pinch and you just have to stop somewhere. At least this way you could make the best nutritional choice.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:01 am
I’d like to see the scores and comparisons between canned beans. Is one bean more nutritious for you than the rest?
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:26 am
I would love to see how the generic label foods rate from grocery stores vs the brand name foods. We often buy the generic food labels (because of cost), and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’d love to know what we are eating!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Oh my gosh! I can’t wait until you start scoring tea!!! Will you be scoring herbal teas as well? (Since they are not really “tea”)
I really want Ezikel bread to be scored.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:34 am
i would love to see the scores for more Kashi cereals!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:35 am
I love Ezekiel products and am also curious about different beans and vegetarian options!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:35 am
I’m another one who ‘d love to see scores compared with fresh and canned veg
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:42 am
I’d like to see the scores of nutrition bars. For example, is a Larabar better than a Kind bar or vice versa!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:46 am
I would just like to see scores on EVERYTHING in the grocery store…that would be awesome!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:55 am
I would love to see various brands of hummus scored
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:57 am
I’d like to learn more about tea and coffee, two things we always use!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I would love to see you score various gourmet truffles (IE Vosges, godiva, etc)
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 11:09 am
I would love to see PB&Co. peanut butters scored
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 11:30 am
I would love to see more chain restaurants scored. When I go out to eat I am always curious what certain products would score and if there would be better choices!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Dunkin Dark is great! Since there is pretty much no other coffee place around it’s nice to have more options. I just wish they would promote bringing your own mug the way starbucks does.
Anyway, I would love to see a comparison of different flours. I’ve been using garbonzo flour in my homemade granola bars for extra protein. There are so many options now with almond flour, whole grain white, whole wheat, rice flour, coconut flout etc. All with different fat, calories, proteins, nutrients. Aside from taste it would be nice to know which one came on top for overall nutrition.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 11:57 am
love me some Starbucks…
I would like to see almond milk scored and more cereals!
maybe some ice creams and frozen yogurts too!
Oh, I have to admit I think about my cup of coffee while going to bed the night before too!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
I would love to see the scoring of more fresh seafood!! Sweet Giveaway.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I’d like to see more cereal scored, and also more scores for specific fish (I was very surprised to see scallops score so much lower than shrimp and clams!).
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
kashi heart to heart cereal or smart start cereal scored!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
I would love to see coffee and tea scored.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Still love Dunkins but Green Mtn Dark Magic is excellent! I would love to see a cheese scoring comparison.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I would like to see Chick-Fil-A scored. I mean sometimes I have to let my kids have a treat and I find this to be some of the better fast food. If better fast food even exists.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I would love to see some restaurants scored. We eat out on the weekends I would love to know what restaurants are the healthiest options and which take out meals have great scores.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Love to see some cheese scores too!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
I’d love to see some ice creams scored. I eat it everyday!! I’d like to see the comparisons in the all natural and the cheaper score brand. Thanks!! Your site (and you) are
awesome!!!!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
I feel the same as you about coffee! It’s one thing I can always look forward to.
I also would like to see the scores comparing nutrition bars.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I’d like to see the score for Kashi bars!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
I would like to see some scoring on flavored waters…there are so many different brands, some with sugar, some with sweetner. I have to read the labels every time to find out whats really in it.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
I would love to see Kemps Frozen Yogurt scored!
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I would love to see the scores for Teas! I drink tea every day and I know it has healthy antioxidants in it, so I am curious to see what the score would be.
on Apr 27th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
I would like to see healthy frozen meals scored like Kashi, Lean Cuisine, and especially Amys. It’s hard to know which ones are the best, there are so many!!
on Jun 8th, 2010 at 7:20 am
[...] Ok, now I bet you’re wondering why NuVal doesn’t score these products. Melissa of A Better Bag of Groceries gives a great explanation here. [...]
on Jun 8th, 2010 at 7:42 am
I’m going to be uncreative and stick with wanting to see coffee scored =)
on Jun 9th, 2010 at 10:18 am
i would love to see a breakdown of nutritional values between organic and non-organic items… once and for all!
on Feb 21st, 2011 at 5:23 am
[...] so, now I bet you’re wondering whyNuVal doesn’t score these products. Melissa of A Better Bag of Groceries gives a great explanation in this post. Basically, it comes down to not scoring products if they [...]
on Feb 21st, 2011 at 9:39 pm
I’d love to see energy/sports bars scored.
on Feb 22nd, 2011 at 10:04 pm
I would like to see a scoring for coffee or maybe Starbucks drinks.
on Feb 23rd, 2011 at 11:15 am
I too would like to see all the milk scores. Throw in there coconut milk with the soy, almond, rice, goat’s milk, cow’s milk, and then you have the flavored and unflavored, sweetened and unsweetened, the different % of fat. Which do you choose???
on Sep 6th, 2011 at 5:13 am
[...] bet you’re wondering why NuVal doesn’t score these products. Melissa of A Better Bag of Groceries gives a great explanation in this post. Basically, it comes down to not scoring products if they [...]