![nutritionista:
Dumb Choices Tuesday: Bagel-fuls Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Bagel
Another green check, another dumb choice. This time, it’s something we’re supposed to eat for breakfast. Like the last Dumb Choice I profiled, Bagel-fuls are as notable for what they DON’T contain as what they do. Let’s look at the nutrition stats:
Calories: 200Fat: 4g, 3g saturatedCarbs: 34g, 8g sugar, 2g fiberProtein: 6gVitamin A: 2%Vitamin C: 0%Calcium: 10%Iron: 10%
At first glance, they don’t seem that bad. Fairly low fat, a respectable amount of protein, and not too many calories. But what’s missing here? Fiber, for one. For an item with that much bread, I’d ideally like to see at least 4-5 grams of fiber. AT LEAST. A big hunk of white bread with some sugar (see below) flavoring is not exactly going to keep me full for too long, is it? Speaking of sugar, let’s check out the rest of the ingredients:
Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1|, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Water, Cream Cheese (Pasteurized Milk and Cream, Salt, Cheese Culture, Stabilizers [Xanthan and/or Carob Bean and/or Guar Gums]), Brown Sugar, Invert Sugar, Sugar, Contains Less than 2% of Dextrose, Malted Barley and Corn Extracts, Yeast, Wheat Flour, Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Corn Flour, Spice, Magnesium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Zinc Oxide, Dough Conditioner (Wheat Flour, L-Cysteine, Ascorbic Acid, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Azodicarbonamide, Calcium Iodate, Calcium Peroxide, Enzymes), Soybean Oil, Dough Improver (Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Azodicarbonamide), Natural Flavor.
First of all, it’s important to note that this product contains soy in the form of soybean oil. If you’re sensitive to soy, this is one of the thousands of the seemingly soy-free products you should actually avoid. I also love the three different terms for sugar (brown, invert, and dextrose). Let’s also note that one of the ingredients in the “dough condition”, L-cysteine, is often derived from human hair or duck feathers (apparently artificial cysteine is cost prohibitive and this mostly used only in kosher food). So this item might also not be totally vegetarian either. Of course, I can’t overlook the hydrogenated soybean oil, which is trans fat.But that’s not the point of the Smart Choice program, is it? Smart Choices isn’t trying to convince you to be vegetarian or avoid all forms of sweetener. So what makes this particular food a “smart” choice? I’m guessing it’s the relatively low calories and fat that put it in the “slightly better than a doughnut” category.
But what does a Bagel-ful offer you, besides the fact that it’s not high fat or calorie? Not a whole lot (which is kind of a theme with Smart Choice foods). As I mentioned before, it’s low on fiber. It’s also low on vitamins and other nutrients. It does have a whole lot of additives that help make its taste and texture just so.
If you had a Bagel-ful for breakfast, would you feel so gross and sluggish that you would be unable to function? Of course not. Would it probably taste alright? I’m sure. But when I talk about getting more bang for your calorie buck, this is exactly what I mean. For 200 calories, you get almost zero nutrition if you choose to consume a Bagel-ful. Alternatively, you could eat a slice of whole grain bread with a tablespoon of PB and half a medium-sized banana. The stats would look something like this (using 100% whole grain Natural Ovens for the bread and PB without added sugar):
Calories: 240Fat: 9.5g, 2.5 saturatedFiber: 7.5gProtein: 13.5gCarbs: 31.5
For my easy breakfast, you’re getting more than three times the fiber and double the protein. Yes, there are slightly more calories and fat, but my meal contains LESS saturated fat and NO trans fat (which I think is worth it!). I estimated the cost of my simple breakfast to be about $.53, while a Bagel-ful will set you back about $.49 (from what I can tell). So a Bagel-ful is not much cheaper, contains much less nutrition, and isn’t really that much easier to make. Oh, and one more thing: they’re apparently not even that tasty!
These look disgusting to me to begin with.](http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kr3g7wrk7E1qzvog9o1_400.jpg)
Dumb Choices Tuesday: Bagel-fuls Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Bagel
Another green check, another dumb choice. This time, it’s something we’re supposed to eat for breakfast. Like the last Dumb Choice I profiled, Bagel-fuls are as notable for what they DON’T contain as what they do.
Let’s look at the nutrition stats:Calories: 200
Fat: 4g, 3g saturated
Carbs: 34g, 8g sugar, 2g fiber
Protein: 6g
Vitamin A: 2%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 10%At first glance, they don’t seem that bad. Fairly low fat, a respectable amount of protein, and not too many calories. But what’s missing here? Fiber, for one. For an item with that much bread, I’d ideally like to see at least 4-5 grams of fiber. AT LEAST. A big hunk of white bread with some sugar (see below) flavoring is not exactly going to keep me full for too long, is it? Speaking of sugar, let’s check out the rest of the ingredients:
Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1|, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Water, Cream Cheese (Pasteurized Milk and Cream, Salt, Cheese Culture, Stabilizers [Xanthan and/or Carob Bean and/or Guar Gums]), Brown Sugar, Invert Sugar, Sugar, Contains Less than 2% of Dextrose, Malted Barley and Corn Extracts, Yeast, Wheat Flour, Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Corn Flour, Spice, Magnesium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Zinc Oxide, Dough Conditioner (Wheat Flour, L-Cysteine, Ascorbic Acid, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Azodicarbonamide, Calcium Iodate, Calcium Peroxide, Enzymes), Soybean Oil, Dough Improver (Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Azodicarbonamide), Natural Flavor.
First of all, it’s important to note that this product contains soy in the form of soybean oil. If you’re sensitive to soy, this is one of the thousands of the seemingly soy-free products you should actually avoid. I also love the three different terms for sugar (brown, invert, and dextrose). Let’s also note that one of the ingredients in the “dough condition”, L-cysteine, is often derived from human hair or duck feathers (apparently artificial cysteine is cost prohibitive and this mostly used only in kosher food). So this item might also not be totally vegetarian either. Of course, I can’t overlook the hydrogenated soybean oil, which is trans fat.
But that’s not the point of the Smart Choice program, is it? Smart Choices isn’t trying to convince you to be vegetarian or avoid all forms of sweetener. So what makes this particular food a “smart” choice? I’m guessing it’s the relatively low calories and fat that put it in the “slightly better than a doughnut” category.But what does a Bagel-ful offer you, besides the fact that it’s not high fat or calorie? Not a whole lot (which is kind of a theme with Smart Choice foods). As I mentioned before, it’s low on fiber. It’s also low on vitamins and other nutrients. It does have a whole lot of additives that help make its taste and texture just so.
If you had a Bagel-ful for breakfast, would you feel so gross and sluggish that you would be unable to function? Of course not. Would it probably taste alright? I’m sure. But when I talk about getting more bang for your calorie buck, this is exactly what I mean. For 200 calories, you get almost zero nutrition if you choose to consume a Bagel-ful. Alternatively, you could eat a slice of whole grain bread with a tablespoon of PB and half a medium-sized banana. The stats would look something like this (using 100% whole grain Natural Ovens for the bread and PB without added sugar):
Calories: 240
Fat: 9.5g, 2.5 saturated
Fiber: 7.5g
Protein: 13.5g
Carbs: 31.5For my easy breakfast, you’re getting more than three times the fiber and double the protein. Yes, there are slightly more calories and fat, but my meal contains LESS saturated fat and NO trans fat (which I think is worth it!).
I estimated the cost of my simple breakfast to be about $.53, while a Bagel-ful will set you back about $.49 (from what I can tell). So a Bagel-ful is not much cheaper, contains much less nutrition, and isn’t really that much easier to make. Oh, and one more thing: they’re apparently not even that tasty!
These look disgusting to me to begin with.
2 years ago • Notes
