Taste Test Tuesday: Fig Newton Minis
Fig Newtons have gone cute! Fig Newtons Minis are baked with 100% whole grain (the first ingredient is whole grain wheat flour) and they come in these cute little packets that can be thrown into your purse, backpack or lunch bag.
The one-bag serving contains 2 grams of fiber which is better than zero that's for sure. The minis are fortified with calcium (15%), vitamin A (15%), Iron (15%), and vitamin B-1 through B-6 (around 15% each). And a serving adds up to 130 calories.
What about the sugar?
Ah, there's the rub. The second ingredient listed is figs and the third and fourth ingredients are sugar and corn syrup. A good portion of the 14 grams of sugar per serving listed on the label, comes naturally from the figs. This isn't the case for the Strawberry Newtons Minis, which list high fructose corn syrup as their second ingredient and sugar and corn syrup as their third and fourth ingredients. Keep in mind that although the box says "Naturally flavored" under the word "strawberry", it does not say "naturally sweetened."
On the Fig Newtons Minis ingredient list, it isn't until the sixth ingredient that you get to soybean oil and the seventh, which is partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. Each serving contains 3 grams of fat (.5 of which is saturated and according to the label, 0 grams of trans fat).
How did they taste?
The 100% whole grain Fig Newtons were tasty and moist and each packet holds a small but surprisingly satisfying portion.
~~Elaine
Related Topics: Not So Healthy "Health Foods", Healthy Travel Treats
Technorati Tags: fignewtons, fignewtonminis, fiber, cookies
The one-bag serving contains 2 grams of fiber which is better than zero that's for sure. The minis are fortified with calcium (15%), vitamin A (15%), Iron (15%), and vitamin B-1 through B-6 (around 15% each). And a serving adds up to 130 calories.
What about the sugar?
Ah, there's the rub. The second ingredient listed is figs and the third and fourth ingredients are sugar and corn syrup. A good portion of the 14 grams of sugar per serving listed on the label, comes naturally from the figs. This isn't the case for the Strawberry Newtons Minis, which list high fructose corn syrup as their second ingredient and sugar and corn syrup as their third and fourth ingredients. Keep in mind that although the box says "Naturally flavored" under the word "strawberry", it does not say "naturally sweetened."
On the Fig Newtons Minis ingredient list, it isn't until the sixth ingredient that you get to soybean oil and the seventh, which is partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. Each serving contains 3 grams of fat (.5 of which is saturated and according to the label, 0 grams of trans fat).
How did they taste?
The 100% whole grain Fig Newtons were tasty and moist and each packet holds a small but surprisingly satisfying portion.
~~Elaine
Related Topics: Not So Healthy "Health Foods", Healthy Travel Treats
Technorati Tags: fignewtons, fignewtonminis, fiber, cookies
Labels: taste test
4 Comments:
You have a lot of good things to say, but I think it is a real shame that you recommend these. Especially when you can, oh, say, just eat a real fig and not get everything from high frustose corn syrup to partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, artificial flavor, and a ton of preservatives.
In fact, two real, fresh figs are delicious, and will cost you less than 100 calories. And no preservatives.
Fresh is healthy. Always.
And so carry two fresh, juicy figs in your purse or back pack? I think dried is much safer and cleaner (!), and why not a little whole grain to go with it? Plus, the mini-Newtons sound like they're so much easier to share than say, oh, a FRESH fig, altho' I have shared those on deliciously messy occasions! Anyway,
hooray for a new, convenient and healthy snack!
Dear almost vegetarian,
I totally recommend eating unprocessed fruit and dried fruit during your day. This wasn't a post about eating fruit, it was a post about tasting this new particular product. Just because I wrote about the newtons doesn't mean I feel they are "better" than eating a fig?
And didn't you see the part about high fructose corn syrup not being in the fig flavored mini newtons? And the part about how the soybean oil is the 6th ingredient and even farther down the list--the seventh ingredient--is partially hydrogenated oil?
I'm just trying to give people some ideas on healthier snack options in addition to the more obvious "eat fruits and vegetables" advice.
--Elaine Magee
I try to adhere to a compassionate vegan lifestyle as much as possible [without losing my mind]. I was late to work yesterday and only had fast food joints and a Target to find something to eat. I was happy to find these treats on the shelf (as virtually nothing else was acceptable)... however when I opened the box I was shocked by the amount of waste that goes into these bite sized snacks. The box was 3 times too big for the contents inside and each bag (the size of a pop tart) had exactly 8 tiny little squares inside, filling only the very bottom of each bag. It took me (110 lb girl) 2 bites to finish off a bag... not really enough to share anyhow, unless you mean to share the box (which would definitely not fit nicely into a purse). What a shame. and the sugar hurt my teeth... I will not be contributing to that marketing waste again. I will be stocking up on Larabars, granola bars and fresh apples (which do fit nicely into a purse and are easily shared). It is not difficult to find whole grain snacks in a grocery store today. Fig Newton would not be offering whole grain snacks if that were not the case.
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