Good source of calcium?
As I was walking through the grocery store yesterday, I noticed a bright red bag of Nabisco animal crackers that said "good source of calcium". When I think of calcium, I think dairy products, or perhaps calcium-fortified orange juice. But animal crackers?
I bought the bag just to read the label. Of course, my teenage boys ate the animal crackers; can't let them go to waste!
According to the FDA, to qualify as a "good source" of a nutrient, one serving must contain 10-19% of the DV (Daily Value) for that food. The DV for calcium is 1000mg; therefore a good source must contain 100-190mg of calcium. For comparison, one cup of milk contains 300mg calcium, or 30% of the DV.
But I'm not just interested in calcium; I want to know about the rest of the nutrients in the food. A serving of animal crackers is 10 crackers, and contains 130 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat (5% of the DV), zero cholesterol, and <1g fiber. Not a particularly healthy food because of the saturated fat and low fiber intake, but then what do I expect from a cookie?
On to the list of ingredients. The first ingredient is enriched flour, which isn't nearly as good as whole wheat flour. The fourth ingredient is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Some research shows that a high intake of HFCS contributes to obesity. The fifth ingredient is sugar. Another concern is the partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil; even though the label says zero grams of trans fatty acids (which are worse for our heart than saturated fat), there's definitely trans fats lurking in these animal crackers. As long as there's <.5 gm trans fat per serving, the label can list "0". But who eats just 10 animal crackers? Eat more, and you're getting trans fats that you aren't even aware of unless you read the list of ingredients. Calcium is added in toward the end.
Would I recommend these animal crackers as a way to increase calcium intake? No.
They're not a whole grain, they basically have no fiber, they contain saturated and trans fatty acids, and they also have HFCS. Too many negatives for a measly 100mg of calcium.
You're going to see this type of nutrient advertising on a wide variety of foods. Don't be fooled into thinking these foods are healthy; read the labels and make your own, informed decision. That doesn't mean you should never eat animal crackers. If you enjoy a cookie now and then, they're an option. But a calcium-rich, healthy food they're definitely not.
Lynn
I bought the bag just to read the label. Of course, my teenage boys ate the animal crackers; can't let them go to waste!
According to the FDA, to qualify as a "good source" of a nutrient, one serving must contain 10-19% of the DV (Daily Value) for that food. The DV for calcium is 1000mg; therefore a good source must contain 100-190mg of calcium. For comparison, one cup of milk contains 300mg calcium, or 30% of the DV.
But I'm not just interested in calcium; I want to know about the rest of the nutrients in the food. A serving of animal crackers is 10 crackers, and contains 130 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat (5% of the DV), zero cholesterol, and <1g fiber. Not a particularly healthy food because of the saturated fat and low fiber intake, but then what do I expect from a cookie?
On to the list of ingredients. The first ingredient is enriched flour, which isn't nearly as good as whole wheat flour. The fourth ingredient is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Some research shows that a high intake of HFCS contributes to obesity. The fifth ingredient is sugar. Another concern is the partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil; even though the label says zero grams of trans fatty acids (which are worse for our heart than saturated fat), there's definitely trans fats lurking in these animal crackers. As long as there's <.5 gm trans fat per serving, the label can list "0". But who eats just 10 animal crackers? Eat more, and you're getting trans fats that you aren't even aware of unless you read the list of ingredients. Calcium is added in toward the end.
Would I recommend these animal crackers as a way to increase calcium intake? No.
They're not a whole grain, they basically have no fiber, they contain saturated and trans fatty acids, and they also have HFCS. Too many negatives for a measly 100mg of calcium.
You're going to see this type of nutrient advertising on a wide variety of foods. Don't be fooled into thinking these foods are healthy; read the labels and make your own, informed decision. That doesn't mean you should never eat animal crackers. If you enjoy a cookie now and then, they're an option. But a calcium-rich, healthy food they're definitely not.
Lynn
posted by Lynn Grieger and Mike Ryan at
4:23 PM
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