Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 07:19 AM
Kim, the blogger from Living Domestically, was thrilled to win Tuesday’s hot cereal giveaway. When she wrote me to claim her prize, she also told me, “I spent 45 minutes in the cereal aisle at King Soopers this weekend comparing NuVal scores between the ‘healthy’ stuff and the high sugar name brand stuff. I’m definitely trying to trade up when I can!” Yes, Kim. NuVal scores are addictive. Once you see them in your store, you really get into them and you want to learn more. For the record, NuVal scores are intended to help make your shopping trip quick and easy. But for real foodies, like Kim, there may be times when one might spend 45 minutes in an aisle looking at scores. They’re fascinating!
I can see why Kim would spend so much time in the cold cereal aisle. There are a ton of NuVal scores there. We’re worked incredibly hard to get all those cereals scored. Cold cereals range in score from 2 to 96 and the average score is a 27. Why only a 27? The pull towards lower scores is attributed to the many sugary children’s cereals on the market.
So, what drives cereal scores up or down? The dietitians at NuVal have this to say:
- Many people are on the look-out for sugar in their breakfast creal, but they usually don’t notice the hidden amounts of sodium
- Whole grains and fiber drive scores up. Sources include bran, whole oats, whole wheat, bulgur wheat, brown rice, kamut, millet, and buckwheat. Some products add flaxseed, a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which boosts their score
- Lower scoring products contain partially hydrogenated oils, a source of trans fat
Cereal is one of those products that I’m always learning more about. For example, recently, my husband picked up a box of raisin bran and brought it h0me. My kids are hooked! They love it! They want it for breakfast, they want it after school, they even bring it in a baggie in their backpack for snack. I was thinking, “Great! My kids love raisin bran. This must get a great score.” Then, I checked it out in our NuVal database. Raisin Bran is well, it’s about average.
- Nature’s Path Raisin Bran: NuVal score of 32
- General Mills Raisin Bran: NuVal score of 29
- Fiber One Raisin Bran: NuVal score of 29
- Kellogg’s Raisin Bran: NuVal score of 27
I asked the NuVal dietitians about raisin bran and this is what they had to say:
Varieties of raisin bran are often thought to be extremely healthy, especially with “bran” in the name. However, most people don’t realize that not only are the raisins coated in sugar, but also the cereal is laden with salt. Typically, most raisin bran cereals contain about 19 grams of sugar and 350 mg of sodium per serving.
Now, this post is a Score Lowdown. And that means I just give y’all some NuVal scores because that’s what you came here for today, right? Well, here they are: the good, the average, and the ugly.
In the 90s
- Post Shredded Wheat: NuVal score of 91
- Bear Naked Fit: NuVal score of 91
- Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs: NuV al score of 91
- Bob’s Red Mill Muesli: NuVal score of 91
In the 50s
- Uncle Sam Original 100% Whole Grain Flakes: NuVal score of 59
- Special K Protein Plus: NuVal score of 53
- Fiber One Original: NuVal score of 51
In the 30s
- Kashi Heart to Heart: NuVal score of 38
- General Mills Cheerios: NuVal score of 37
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch: NuVal score of 36
Under 15
- Annie’s Cocoa & Vanilla Bunnies: NuVal score of 11
- Kashi Strawberry Fields: NuVal score of 11
- Cap’n Crunch: NuVal score of 10
Interesting, isn’t it? Can you see why Kim spent so much time checking out the scores in King Sooper’s cereal aisle in Colorado?
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Cereal
Tags: Cheerios, Cold Cereal, Kashi, raisin bran
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 07:04 AM
Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday! Every Tuesday, I blog about a trade up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free! It’s a great day! Lots of people stop by and visit to see what’s new.
This week, I was thinking about cereal. In my job, I talk about cereal – a lot. People eat a lot of cereal. So, when I explain how NuVal works, I will usually give a cereal example and talk about cereal scores. And I always, always default to Post Shredded Wheat cereal. It scores a 91 on the NuVal scale. It was one of the first scores that I learned and it sticks in my brain. I love Post Shredded Wheat, but it’s not the only cereal that scores a 91 on the NuVal scale. So, I did some research and looked to see what else scores a 91 on the NuVal scale.
Here are three other cereals that get an amazing NuVal score of 91:
- Bear Naked Fit Triple Berry Crunch
- Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs
- Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli
So, I have to remember, when I’m giving my NuVal speech at the next trade show or conference or just to another Mom waiting at the bus stop. Really, not a day goes by when I don’t tell someone about NuVal. I should spread the wealth and talk up not only Post Shredded Wheat, but some of these other Cereal SuperStars as well.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky reader will win all 3 of these Cereal SuperStars. Just leave a comment below and tell me which of these three cereals you would choose if you could only have one and how you would eat it (hot, cold, with milk, mixed in with something, on top of something). I’ll choose one winner at random at 8 am Eastern on Wednesday October 19th. Good Luck to all!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Bear Naked, Bob's Red Mill, Kashi
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 08:10 AM
Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday! Every Tuesday, I blog about a trade up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. It’s a great day.
Since last Tuesday, autumn officially arrived. Although we’ve been stuck in a patch of incredibly warm and humid weather here in New England, we took some time over the weekend to do a little fall decorating. I love fall and I just could not wait!
So, today, I wanted to give away something that was truly autumnal. Kashi’s Autumn Wheat seemed like a great choice. I know that it is a huge hit among Kashi fans. It scores a 40 on the NuVal scale. That’s a great score for cereal because the average NuVal score for all cereals is only a 27. So, if you choose Kashi Autumn Wheat, you are choosing a cereal that is above average. Plus, you’ll feel all autumny.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky reader will win both boxes of Kashi’s Autumn Wheat cereal. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me what you love best about the fall season. I can’t wait to see what you all have to say! I’ll select one winner at random at 8 am Eastern Time on Wednesday. Good luck!
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #13, Dana! You’ve won the Lunchbox Love notes! Lucky you! Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can mail them out to you. Thanks to everyone who entered.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Kashi, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Giveaway, Kashi, Kashi Autumn Wheat
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 07:03 AM
Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday, a favorite day here at A Better Bag of Groceries because I blog about Trade Ups I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. Today, I’m hosting a Kashi Snack Giveaway.
Kashi is a brand that is well-known for nutrition, so it seemed fitting to host this Kashi giveaway on the first day of March, which by the way, is National Nutrition Month.
Now, while I do love many Kashi products, I am not saying that they are all nutritional juggernauts. I’ve blogged about this topic in the past. Take cold cereal, for example. You could buy Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs (NuVal score of 91) or Kashi Strawberry Fields (NuVal score of 11). Just because Kashi is on the label, does not automatically mean that it gets a super-high score. But Kashi does make some products that score well, and for this giveaway, I thought I would highlight some high-scoring Kashi snacks.
Cookies: Kashi Oatmeal Raisin Flax are a cookie that we talk about at the NuVal office a lot. Why? Because it is the highest cookie we’ve scored to date. They get a 40 on the NuVal scale. That’s amazing when you consider that the average cookie scores a 7. And they are tasty.
Crackers: Speaking of “tasty”, Kashi’s TLC (Tasty Little Crackers) Original 7 Grain are also part of this giveaway because they score very well in their category. Coming in with a NuVal score of 26, they are well above the average score for crackers (a 17). While these make a great snack, they also come in handy when used in lieu of bread crumbs (crushed up, of course).
Snack Bars: The average NuVal score for all snack bars is a 21, so these Kashi Chewy Granola Bars Honey Almond Flax score very well. They get a 40! Another win.
To Enter:
All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me one of the following:
- your favorite Kashi product
or
- a goal that you have for National Nutrition Month
I’ll choose one winner at random on Wednesday at 8 am Eastern Time. So don’t delay. Good luck everyone!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Kashi, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Kashi, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 06:58 AM
Every Tuesday, I host Trade-Up Tuesday – a special giveaway where I blog about a trade-up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. Today is an extra special Trade Up Tuesday, because today, I bid adieu to Autumn. Let’s face it – beginning next week, the Great Race to 12/25 begins (if it hasn’t already) and I am sad to see Autumn go. So, I thought I would gather up some of my favorite autumnal treats so that one lucky ABBG reader could feast upon the Best of Fall.
May I vent for just a moment? It is my blog after all. Why do we wish this beautiful season away? Why must we hurry the Christmas (oh, excuse me, Holiday) season to get here? On the day after Halloween, one of the local radio stations started playing Christmas music 24 hours a day. On November 1st!!! And when I drove to the gym on November 2nd (at 5 am, mind you) the Christmas lights were ablaze on every single tree on my town green. At 5 am!
I love to decorate for the holidays – every holiday. I decorate for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, every holiday. But it is not easy to find Thanksgiving decorations. It has become the “Skipped-Over” holiday. It’s a blip on the way to Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa. So when I see decorative turkeys or pilgrims (that are not tacky), I snatch them up.
Fall is probably the most beautiful season Mother Nature gives us. And the local produce can’t be beat: apples, squash, pumpkins. But sending you all fresh produce through the mail is a little bit iffy, so I pulled together some other favorites I’ve learned about along the way:
- Kashi Autumn Wheat: NuVal Score of 40 (not the highest of the Kashi’s, but not the lowest either)
- Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Granola: NuVal Score of 36 (not the highest granola out there, but hey, it’s pumpkin!)
- Libby’s Canned Pumpkin: NuVal Score of 94 (nice score!)
- Green Mountain Coffee Autumn Harvest Blend: Not Scored (we’re not scoring foods that have no nutrients like coffee, teas, vinegars, etc)
So, I hope you all savor every last day this fall has to offer. Take the time to look at the remaining leaves. Sip some cider. Wear orange. Go to Kohl’s or Target or TJMaxx and try to buy what’s left of the un-tacky Thanksgiving decorations. And celebrate and give thanks next Thursday. Maybe try to do it without talking about the Next Big Holiday that’s coming.
To Enter Today’s Giveaway
Leave a comment telling me one of the following:
- your favorite autumnal food with a NuVal score if you know it
- something that annoys you about too-early Christmas celebrating
- what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving
I’m feeling generous, so you can answer all three, in three separate comments and enter three times! I’ll choose one lucky winner at random by 8 am Wednesday morning Eastern time so don’t delay! Good Luck!
Note: My Thanksgiving decorations that you see in the photo are not included in this giveaway. And if you think they are tacky, please keep your thoughts to yourselves! 
Check Out My Interview Today on Jodie Fitz!
Jodie Fitz, who runs the Kids Cooking Club for Price Chopper Supermarkets, asked me if I would do an interview for her blog. Gosh, I felt so important! I love Jodie – her recipes are so fun and creative and she does an amazing job teaching kids how to cook. You may remember that my husband made her Pumpkin Pancakes here on A Better Bag of Groceries. Anyway, the interview is up on her blog today. Enjoy!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Autumn, Granola, Kashi, Pumpkin, Trade-Up Tuesday
