One of the nice things about visiting my parents is raiding the kitchen. They stock their cupboards so differently than I do… all manner of cookies, chips and crackers. We have on-going debates as to who has a healthier diet – my dad who eats processed ice cream and chips in modest portions, or me who eats mostly made from scratch food with butter and cream. Since I don’t buy these snacks for myself, I tend to only eat them (if at all) when I visit them.
The reason I don’t eat more is that I usually read the label of processed foods before I eat it. I’m generally skeeved out by the number of ingredients I can’t pronounce.
On a recent visit, in my usual habit, I poked in the cupboards looking for a snack and found wheat thins and Fritos. Though I’m not on a diet, I try to make healthy food choices. I thought, “surely the wheat thins are a better choice.” So I read the labels (both had the same serving size in terms of grams):
Fritos Corn Chips
Amount Per Serving –Calories 160 Calories from Fat 90
Total Fat 10g
Saturated Fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 170mgTotal Carbohydrate 15g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 1g
Protein 2gVitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2% Iron 0%
Wheat Thins
Amount Per Serving –Calories 150 Calories from Fat 50
Total Fat 6g
Saturated Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 260mg
Total Carbohydrate 21g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 4g
Protein 2g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2% Iron 6%
At first blush, you might say that the Wheat Thins are better for you…. After all, they have less calories (10 less per serving) and less fat calories (50 vs. 90). But, they also have nearly four times the sugar content, and 90 mg. more sodium. Interestingly, they have the same (minimal) fiber and protein content. Then I looked at the ingredient list…
Fritos: INGREDIENTS: Corn, Corn Oil, and Salt
Wheat Thins: INGREDIENTS: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Soybean Oil, Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Sugar, Defatted Wheat Germ, Cornstarch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Corn Syrup, Monoglycerides, Barley Malt Syrup, Leavening (Calcium Phosphate, Baking Soda), Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Vegetable Color (Annatto Extract, Turmeric Oleoresin), Onion Powder.
In the laundry list of ingredients, the wheat thins have the beleaguered high-fructose corn syrup. I would argue that the Fritos Corn chips are the lesser of two evils. What do you think?