Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 08:15 AM
When people learn that I am the “Mommy Blogger” for NuVal, they ask me a lot of questions. They always want to know how their favorite foods score. And I love to answer those questions. It’s one of my favorite things to do. But cheese has been sort of a boring topic for me, because well, the cheese scores are sort of all the same. I tell people this, “For the most part, cheese hovers in the 20s and whether it’s regular cheese, low-fat or fat-free really doesn’t make much difference. So, I just buy the regular.”
Take Kraft American Cheese Singles, for example:
- Kraft American Singles: NuVal score of 24
- Kraft Reduced Fat Singles: NuVal score of 26
- Kraft Fat Free Singles: NuVal score of 26
Well, reducing the fat and taking the fat out does result in a little bit of a higher score for the American cheese. But check out the scores in Cheddar.
- Kraft Sharp Cheddar: NuVal score of 26
- Kraft Fat Free Cheddar: NuVal score of 27
- Kraft Shredded Reduced Fat Cheddar Made with 2% Milk: NuVal score of 23
So, the regular cheddar cheese actually scores higherthan the reduced fat. Hmmmmmm. That is interesting!
The same thing happens in Swiss cheese.
- Kraft Swiss Cheese: NuVal score of 24
- Kraft Fat Free Swiss Cheese: NuVal score of 26
- Kraft Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese: NuVal score of 23
Again the regular cheese scores higher than the reduced fat cheese. Fascinating!
So, that’s sort of the NuVal story in cheese – lots of products with scores in the 20s with little differences here and there. If you really want to trade up in Cheese, you need to go soy-based. I was reminded of this while visiting a Big Y store recently. Check out these cheese alternatives:
Galaxy Swiss gets a score of 50.
Galaxy Cheddar gets a score of 66.
Galaxy American gets a score of 69.
Galaxy Mozzarella gets a score of 81.
I like to use these cheeses when I make vegetable omelettes. They melt very nicely. My sister, who is lactose-intolerant, is a huge fan of Galaxy cheeses also.
So, I guess there is an interesting story to be told in Cheese.
I started to research Cheese a little further and I found that Goat Cheese scores range from a 7 to a 23. OMG! It looks like I will have to write a Say Cheese Part II blog post. There’s more to this story! So stay tuned…
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #43 Hollie! You’ve won the Fabulous Tea and Cookies giveaway. Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com so that I can mail your prize to you. Thank you to everyone who entered. I love reading all your ideas for taking the Crazy Out of Christmas!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: cheese
Tags: cheese
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 06:50 AM
On Monday, I gave you my tips for avoiding the dreaded holiday weight gain. You can do it – and have fun – promise! One of those tips was to eat a light lunch when you know you are headed to a holiday party in the evening. Here’s one of my favorite light lunches of all time: The Incredible Vegetable Sandwich.
The inspiration for this sandwich comes from a cafe in Providence. Back in the early ’90s, I was working in Providence temporarily for a small consulting firm who was reengineering a Big Bank. This was just after finishing my graduate degree and just before beginning my traveling days with Big Consulting Firm. There was a small deli/cafe nearby where we often got take-out sandwiches for lunch. This steamed veggie sandwich was what I often ordered – without cheese! I was such a masochist – trying to lose the last of some leftover college pounds on Weight Watchers.
Now, it is my Go-To Sandwich when I want something warm but healthy.
Chop up some broccoli (cooked or raw – whatever you have) and grate a few carrots. Top with some roasted red peppers, also chopped. Heat in the microwave.
Top with some cheddar cheese and microwave it some more. Spoon the heated veggies and cheese into a pita, and voila – lunch! I recommend adding something with protein, such as a glass of skim milk, to help to round out your lunch.
So, how does the Incredible Vegetable Sandwich Score on the NuVal scale?
Well, the carrots score a 99 (remember 100 is best) and the broccoli scores a 100. The Pastene Roasted Red Peppers do not score as well as fresh, raw peppers. They score a 7. Last time I used roasted red peppers in a recipe, some readers asked me why they score so low. So I checked in with Annette Maggi, MS, RD, LD, FADA, Sr. Director of Nutrition for NuVal LLC. She said that these roasted red peppers have 5 calories per serving (80% come from sugar) and 85 mg of sodium, so the sodium for the calories is what is driving the score down. Additionally, while there is some vitamin C in the product, it has very little positive nutrition. Too bad! They taste so good.
I use Boar’s Head Cheddar cheese from the deli and NuVal has not yet scored deli cheeses as of yet. However, we have scored other cheeses that you would find in the refrigerated section. For example, Cabot Sharp Cheddar Slices score a 22. You might think that the Cabot Light Cheddar would score better. Well, it only brings the score up by one point to a 23. As for the pita, I use Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat Flour Pita. These nutritional juggernauts, which made my list of Top Ten Favorite Foods, score a 65, an amazing score in the bread category. And don’t forget, if you add a glass of skim milk, it scores a 91. Fabulous!
So, if you know you have a fun night of cocktails and hard-to-resist hors d’oeuvres coming up, have the Incredible Vegetable Sandwich for lunch. With cheese!
Winner of Trade-Up Tuesday
Congratulations to Commenter #41 Emily J, winner of yesterday’s Almond Give-Away!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Broccoli, Carrots, Incredible Vegetables
Tags: Broccoli, Carrots, cheese, Incredible Vegetables
