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Pop-Tart for breakfast? Think again!
By workoutmommy | January 29, 2008
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My son likes to eat Pop-Tarts and I cannot lie, I do too. That is until today.
After reviewing the ingredient list and the overall nutritional content of these things (I will not even call them a food), I realized they are pure JUNK!
These are not for breakfast nor are they for a snack! They are essentially a giant candy bar, filled with sugar and sodium. The only place these should go is in the trash! So repeat after me: No more Pop-Tarts!
Think I am being harsh? Ok, let’s take a look at the ingredient list from the Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Chocolate Fudge flavor:
ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, DEXTROSE, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN, PALM, COTTONSEED AND/OR HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL† WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID FOR FRESHNESS), CORN SYRUP, WHEY, CRACKER MEAL, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, COCOA, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CORNSTARCH, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, SALT, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), MODIFIED CORN STARCH, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, GELATIN, DRIED EGG WHITES, DATEM, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL†, MODIFIED WHEAT STARCH, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR, CARAMEL COLOR, SOY LECITHIN, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, COLOR ADDED, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID.
Is this even in English?! These things have over 50 different ingredients and I am pretty sure nothing in them is of nutritional value to our bodies. (That is a red flag right there—if there are more ingredients in your product than you can even pronounce, chances are it is not good for you! )
Kellogg’s claims they are “a good source of 7 essential vitamins and minerals”. That just makes me laugh out loud! Where are these hidden? Underneath the high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and vegetable oil? Please do not believe that you are getting anything other than a sugar rush from this product.
Here is the nutritional breakdown of one Pop-Tart. (not one pouch, but one tart!)
| Nutrition Facts | ||
| Calories: 200.0 | Calories from fat: 45.0 | ||
| Fat | 5.0 | g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 | mg |
| Saturated fat | 1.0 | g |
| Sodium | 220.0 | mg |
| Carbohydrate | 37.0 | g |
| Sugar | 19.0 | g |
| Dietary fiber | 1.0 | g |
| Protein | 3.0 | g |
So again, all I see is sugar and sodium with a sprinkling of protein. Not exactly the breakfast of champions, is it?
Mine are already in the trash….how about yours?
Topics: nutrition |
January 29th, 2008 at 2:20 am
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January 29th, 2008 at 6:31 am
I had to stop buying Pop Tarts when I was preggo with my DS. I was very close to joining Pop Tarts Anonymous. My Midwife told me who horrible they were for me and BABY. Man, I loved those things!
I had been eating them since I was a BABY. My mom used to serve two of those and a Pepsi to me for breakfast as a child. Gee, I wonder where my fabulous eating habits come from!!
January 29th, 2008 at 7:42 am
When I started my last job, I would always get a 2 pack of these in the vending machine….and I proceeded to pack on a little weight! I’m with you - they belong in the trash! Besides, you’re always hungry shortly after eating them, right? Not good!
January 29th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Crap. I just let my 3 year old have a strawberry frosted one for breakfast this morning…
January 29th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I have a rule–no food with sugar or corn syrup in the first 5 ingredients.
When I started eliminating those foods from my diet, I lost 5 lbs in one week and got pregnant that month.
Processed food is BAAADD!
January 29th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
They are yummy and bad for you. My son, who likes junk food, doesn’t seem to like them which is really good. The other dangerous side to this kind of junk food is the marketing about protein. i have started to see chocolate bars being marketed as protein bars because they have 7 or 8 grams of protein in them.
It may have protein but that don’t make it any better for you.
January 29th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
SO true! Pop Tarts are the devil…they are so very delicious, and I used to be addicted to them…when I was fifty pounds overweight, if that tells you anything!
Fortunately they don’t exist in Chile, where I live, so they’re not even on my radar anymore.
January 29th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Wow, what took you so long? Anything that sweet is highly suspect.
If I desperately need sugar, I go for the real thing. My preferred candy bar is only about 25% higher in calories, and much more satisfying.
January 29th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
[...] Pop-Tart for breakfast? Think again! - Workout Mommy! [...]
January 29th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
They are definitely tasty but there’s nothing to them. I’m with Frannie; I have to eat like 3 packs to kind of feel full, and that’s 1200 calories!!
January 29th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
The ingredients list just reads like a chemistry experiment which is why I don’t eat things anymore that sound more like a lab coat made it versus mother nature. But all is not lost, whole foods and trader joes have pop tart like alternatives that are pretty tasty. Check those out.
January 29th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
You’re absolutely right! Pop Tarts are evil! At least people should be aware, if they’re eating them, that they really hold no nutritional value in the slightest.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I can stay away from them. My kids go in spurts with them. They love the brown cinnamon and hot fudge sundae. It’s so easy to grab one from them and eat it in the car.
What’s a good grab and go alternative that won’t make a mess in the car and the kids will eat? I’d love to hear suggestions.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:19 am
TB,you might try Amy’s frozen toaster pastries. They’re not exactly a nutritional jackpot, but they have fruit and a whole-wheat crust, so they’re a bit better.
Pop Tarts, for me, are like Twinkies: i loved them as a kid, but can’t stand them now. Give me a fresh-baked cookie,lol!
January 30th, 2008 at 2:44 am
No poptarts for me (although I never really got into them, even as a kid). Now, toaster strudel………that’s a different story…………:)
January 30th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Are you kidding me? What ever made you think these would be any more nutritious than a chocolate bar?
January 30th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Thanks for the tip about Amy’s pastries, I’ll have to check them out.
TB–another option for grab and go food is the Kashi Go Lean crunch bar. They have a good amount of protein and fiber and actually taste good!
January 30th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Thanks for the tips. I always have a hard time getting the kids dressed, fed and out the door with me. Usually the dressed and fed part are easy it’s the out the door I struggle with.
February 1st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
[...] Pop-Tart for breakfast? Think again! [...]
February 1st, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I always keep a box of pop tarts in the pantry for the grandkid.I never read the box I just knew she liked them.They will be replaced with something else after reading this.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I eat ONE Pop-tart as my sweet indulgence once or twice a week… it’s my treat for working out three times during the week. I still lose weight so as long as you limit your sugar intake, it’s okay. I looove Pop-tarts, but I wouldn’t eat them for breakfast, hehe.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:29 am
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