Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 6 year old and an adventurous 4 year old. I also happen to work for a great new company called NuVal. NuVal is a nutritional scoring system that rates foods on a scale of 1-100, based on how nutritious they are. We are implementing NuVal in grocery stores around the country.
NuVal may not be in your area yet. But I see the scores while they are "hot off the press" and because of that I am able to make better decisions about what to feed my family.
I am not a registered dietitian. I am just a mom who happens to work for NuVal. I am also an AFAA-certified Group Exercise Instructor. NuVal is a system designed to lead customers to the most nutritious food choices. It is not a diet or weight-loss plan. Before starting a diet, you should always consult your personal physician. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC.
Hello Blog Friends! It’s Trade-Up Tuesday, the day where I blog about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and give some of it away. Do you remember me telling you how dreamy Dreamfields pasta is? I love it so much I just had to make it a GiveAway! And it is worth you taking the time to comment because Dreamfields retails for $2.79 a box at my local grocery store. So it ain’t cheap. I’m giving away 4 different boxes: spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, and rotini. All of these Dreamfields varieties get Rock Star scores of 87on the NuVal scale. Why, oh why, eat plain pasta? I’m also giving away a fabulous NuVal T-shirt! Which I would advise you NOT to wear while eating your Dreamfields smothered in tomato sauce.
Speaking of tomato sauce, I highly recommend my friend Heather’s amazing marinara sauce. I made some last week and it was incredible.
It is the perfect accompaniment to your Dreamfields pasta.
So, why do I love Dreamfields so much that I’m willing to pay a higher price for it? Well, long-time readers of ABBG know that I’ve traded up to whole wheat pastas (most notably, Barilla Plus, score of 91) since learning about NuVal scores. What I love about Dreamfields is that there is nothing wheaty about it at all. It tastes just like regular pasta. Actually better. It’s so smooth and creamy. That is the only way I can describe it.
To Enter:
In keeping with the Dreamy theme of today’s giveaway, leave me a comment below telling me either:
A “carb” score that you find interesting in the Scores section of the NuVal website. (Bread, crackers, cereal)
OR
What you most like to daydream about
Leave your comment by 11:59 pm Eastern time tonight. I’ll randomly select one lucky winner. Good Luck!
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a weekly feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries where I tell you about a Trade-Up I’ve made and give away free stuff.
Every category has a Rock Star. In cold cereal, it’s Shredded Wheat with a NuValscore of 91. In cookies, it’s Kashi TLC Oatmeal Raisin with a score of 40. And in Salty Snacks (just the title of that category makes my mouth water – I love salt), it’s Garden of Eatin No Salt Added Blue Chips. They get a NuVal score of 52. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that the median (half are above it, half are below it) score for salty snacks is only a 13. I buy these chips all the time now. There just is no other. And what I love about them, is that they don’t seem like a healthy alternative, if you know what I mean. They taste like a chip. You don’t feel like you’ve sacrificed.
I couldn’t give away chips without something to dip them in, so I picked up some salsa. In the Healthy/Organic section of my grocery store. And guess what? This Green Mountain Gringo Salsa only gets a 9! This is why I so need NuVal in a grocery store close to my house. It’s so easy to pick up the wrong thing. And to think that you’re picking up the right thing. Because, ya know, it’s in the Healthy/Organic section of the supermarket! There are some better choices to be made:
Ortega Original Salsa, Medium: 35
Newman’s Own Chunky Roasted Garlic Salsa, Medium, All Natural: 32
Taco Bell Home Thick and Chunky Medium Salsa: 26
And I could have picked those up in the regular old Salty Snack aisle.
So to make up for the low-scoring salsa, I’m throwing in a NuVal t-shirt too! Woo hoo!
To Enter:
All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me your favorite Salty Snack. Easy! I’ll choose one winner at random. The contest closes at 11:59 pm tonight, so don’t delay! Good luck!
It’s Trade-Up Tuesday and today I’m giving away some of the NuVal Rock Stars in the Cracker Category. I have to admit, I’m a little worried that y’all might not be too excited about crackers. I mean if Ernie (from Sesame Street) like cookies, his best friend Bert is the cracker guy. But you Bloggies prove me wrong all the time, so maybe this will be a big GiveAway after all.
Personally, I am a Cracker girl. I always crave something a little crunchy and a little salty, especially in those late-afternoon hours, when dinner is still a while away. Also, as a mom, I have the difficult challenge of packing shelf-stable snacks in my son’s backpack that he will eat at about 2 pm in his first grade classroom. Crackers are lightweight, portable, and they don’t get all brown & mushy (like sliced apples).
Crackers score between 1 and 91 on the NuVal scale. That is a wide range! But the median score for Crackers (1/2 score above it, 1/2 score below it) is only a 14. My kids like Cheez Its, which score a 13 on the NuVal scale. So, I set that as my low bar. When looking for a “better than average” cracker, I’ll often ask myself, “Is it better than a Cheez It?”
My kids will eat Wheat Thins and Triscuits, so those are great choices. Wheat Thins score a 24 on the NuVal scale. Surprisingly, 100% Whole Grain Wheat Thins only get a 1 point improvement – to a 25. Who knew? Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits score a 32.
For a real cracker Powerhouse, I turn to Ryvita Rye and Oat Bran crackers. They get a NuVal score of 87! I spread a little hummus on them and enjoy them with a salad for lunch. Interestingly, when I’m snacking on some Ryvita & hummus, my kids will ask for some too. And they will eat them! So much better than a Cheez It.
Today’s GiveAway
As I said, I’m worried that you all might be yawning over the idea of winning some crackers, so I’m also throwing in a NuVal t-shirt. They are awesome! Just leave me a comment below, telling me one Cracker score you find interesting or suprising. Cracker scores are right here.
I’ll select one lucky winner at random. The contest closes at 11:59 PM Eastern time tonight. Good Luck!
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a weekly feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries where I tell you about Trade-Ups I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away free stuff. Today, I have a fantastic giveaway! In honor of Fat Tuesday and the Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver, Canada, I am giving away pancakes and Canadian maple syrup! Oh, and the winner gets a NuVal T-shirt too! Good times!
Sorry, the skis are not included!
To learn more about why I traded up to Aunt Jemima’s Whole Wheat Blend Pancake mix, check out my Youtube video.
To Enter Today’s GiveAway:
Leave a comment and tell me something that you learned on the video, such as:
The NuVal score for Aunt Jemima’s Whole Wheat Blend Pancake Mix
The NuVal score for regular Aunt Jemima’s Pancake Mix
The NuVal score for the frozen mini pancakes that I used to buy
What I do now so that I have easily accessible pancakes during our busy weekday mornings
What it says on the back of my T-shirt
What my son’s drawing is on the front of my refrigerator (you get bonus points for that one!)
My favorite brand of chocolate chips
Don’t cheat! No fair if you just look at the other commenters. However, if you are at work and can’t really watch a video right now, I’ll take a comment on your favorite Winter Olympic sport!
One winner will be randomly drawn from all the comments. The contest closes at 11:59 EST on February 16th. Be sure to check back here tomorrow to see if you’ve won!
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!
The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System gives nutritional guidance to consumers frustrated with complicated nutrition labels and misleading packaging promises. Under NuVal, all foods and beverages are rated on a scale between 1 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the overall nutrition.
