Let's Have A Snack
When I was putting together my lunch this morning, I was confronted with a dilemma: should I take a Hostess Cup Cake, or should I take a peanut butter granola bar from Nature Valley? It came down to which I wanted: healthy stuff or sugary crap.
Or so I thought...before I looked at the Nutrition facts.
Hmmm...one Cup Cake, 180 Calories, 50 of them from fat. One package of granola bars (that's two bars), 180 calories, 60 of them from fat. Whahuh???
Now, I grant you that the granola bars are lower in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. But if you're watching calories and fat alone, the CUP CAKE is better for you. Something just ain't right. Shoot, the Cup Cake has the same amount of iron and is a source of calcium as well. On the whole, I think that the two are kind of a wash, although I'm no nutritionist--perhaps the sugar (11g in the granola bars, 22g in the Cup Cake) and saturated fat (1g vs. 3g) are more significant in the long term.
I ended up with the granola bars because I like peanut butter better than chocolate.
Or so I thought...before I looked at the Nutrition facts.
Hmmm...one Cup Cake, 180 Calories, 50 of them from fat. One package of granola bars (that's two bars), 180 calories, 60 of them from fat. Whahuh???
Now, I grant you that the granola bars are lower in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. But if you're watching calories and fat alone, the CUP CAKE is better for you. Something just ain't right. Shoot, the Cup Cake has the same amount of iron and is a source of calcium as well. On the whole, I think that the two are kind of a wash, although I'm no nutritionist--perhaps the sugar (11g in the granola bars, 22g in the Cup Cake) and saturated fat (1g vs. 3g) are more significant in the long term.
I ended up with the granola bars because I like peanut butter better than chocolate.
posted by Robert at
8:41 PM
3 Comments:
They are both crap. Read this most excellent article from the NYTimes Sunday Magazine from a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?ex=1172293200&en=34ee9ef145913ddd&ei=5070
By
Madison Squash Workshop, at 9:31 PM
Of course they're both crap! But in the Game Of Perception, granola==good, cupcakes==bad.
That is a good article, though.
By
Robert, at 7:26 AM
Since I work at Nature Valley, I have a pretty steady supply of these around. I look at them as a treat, same as a candy bar. My favorites right now are the Almond or Peanut Sweet & Salty Nut Bar. I also like the Caribou Coffee Mint Condition bar.
We do have a Fiber 1 bar. I'm not sure the calories on it, but it's something like 1/3 of the rda for fiber. There's another one I can't talk about that will definitely be better for you than a cupcake, and I hear it tastes pretty awesome. Stay tuned.
By
Anonymous, at 8:55 PM
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