Quick disclaimer…I am not covering this topic to criticize Graze.com specifically or generally. I am writing to EDUCATE about their products and similar products. I fully expect to hear from them, so I want to get that out there: EDUCATION is my goal.
Where to begin?? Let’s start from the top. ALL products like these are marketed to LOOK healthy…I mean the color of the PACKAGING, the NAMES of the products and the WORDS used to describe them. THAT’S where the importance of reading labels comes in.
I went onto GRAZE.com and looked around. There are definitely some options that fall within the guidelines that I outlined for snack bars in this week’s material.
HOWEVER, if I purchased a membership to the site thinking that ALL choices of Graze are healthy options, that they will help me maintain or lose weight, I would be disappointed.
As I outlined in “Smarts On Snacks” #SOS, (if you’re not a member – WHY NOT?? You can sign up for FREE here), I look at:
- Calories – AROUND 200
- Protein/Fiber content – AT LEAST 5-7 total grams
- Added sugar – UNDER 10 grams
So I started in “Healthy Habits”…duh…of course. YES, there are some choices with
- Around that many calories
- Higher protein/fiber
- Lower sugar
From “Healthy Habits” I looked under “Sources of fiber”…thinking by the title that ALL of these options would be high in fiber. I looked at “Dried Pineapple”. To get the whole picture, I read the ENTIRE description. Here are the nutritional details:
- 110 calories
- 3 grams fiber
- <1 gram protein
- 27 grams of sugar
Okay, I thought, maybe I’m missing something…3 grams of fiber really is not a GOOD source. Quick comment: LEGALLY 3 grams is “a good source” because it is about 10% of what you need daily, but come on…10% is “GOOD”? This subject could – and probably WILL – be a whole different blog.
Reading further I looked at the INGREDIENTS. JUST pineapple – awesome! Great to see that there aren’t any added sugars. So all of the 27 grams of sugar are naturally occurring.
Lastly I went into the DESCRIPTION. Here is what it said,
“Tangy dried pineapple is one of my latest favorites. Chewy and naturally sweet, it’s a deliciously satisfying snack that kids go mad for too, gives breakfasts an exotic twist and is great for decorating desserts, cakes or whatever else you like.’ – Holly, graze taste expert”
Now this was also interesting to me. I thought that the POINT of these boxes was to be stand-alone snacks. I didn’t think that you were supposed to add them to other foods. That being said, a snack of 110 calories is NOT going to do much to stave off hunger – ESPECIALLY with so little fiber and negligible protein.
As I sit here, I realize that I could write about this stuff all day. I don’t want to overload you, so I will reel it in.
Here is my issue IN GENERAL with those choices…If they have fewer calories, you are not going to be satisfied and will eat – most likely – a whole additional snack.
Now, another “however”…IF it is going to stop you from having something with 2, 3 or 4 times the calories, then GREAT. But as a stand-alone snack, I would find something with a little more nutritional value.
Without going through EACH product in this much detail, I have listed two more below. One that looks good and one not so much.
“Smoky Protein Kick – hickory smoked almonds, raw almonds, pure pumpkin seeds and chili lemon fava beans”. Looks good.
- 170 calories
- 4 grams fiber
- 8 grams protein
- 1 gram sugar
Nuts, seeds and beans. YEP. That will work. Add a little spice, watch your portions and you’re good to go.
The last one I will mention here is also under “Sources of fiber”. “Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake – mini cocoa cookies, strawberry fruit drops, yogurt coated strawberry pieces and almonds”. Here is the nutritional information.
- 170 calories
- 2 grams fiber
- 3 grams protein
- 11 grams sugar
…Again, I don’t understand how they can say this is a good source of fiber. I see this as a “dessert substitute” versus a “it’s 3:00 and dinner isn’t for another 3 hours” option.
That’s right! I’m reeling it in!!
To summarize I will use just 3 words: READ YOUR LABELS. Make sure that what you are eating is FULFILLING the purpose of WHY you are eating it. Make sense?
Post questions to Facebook!! I would love to talk more about this subject.
