Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Nutella









We all know that nut butters are good for you, at least in moderation. They are calorie dense, so you need to be careful of the amount you eat unless you are a young active kid or trying to pack on weight.


Peanut butter provides a feeling of fullness, so when dieting a small amount on a rice cake can help you feel satisfied for a while.  It has fiber (about 8%); protein (about 24%); vitamins E and B3; copper, iron, calcium and potassium. Peanut butter contains monounsaturated fats, these are "good fats" that help to lower your LDL (bad cholesterol).


Almond butter has higher concentrations of vitamin E and antioxidants.


Both butters are best if freshly ground as studies have shown that nut (and legume) butters lose their vitamins in processing.


Your butters should never have added sugar or partially hydrogenated oil! Honey would be fine if you want it sweet, and there really is no need for any added oils, but some oils would be better than others.




Do you like Nutella? I can take it or leave it, it has always been too sweet for me. My son though, he loves it. Do you think Nutella is good for you?


Well apparently the maker of Nutella, Italy's Ferrero Group used to claim it was good for you. Now I would never fall for that, who on earth would? I mean taste the stuff it's sweet, sticky, rich, creamy, need I go on?  


Ferraro U.S.A. has just lost a class action suit for their marketing, labeling and advertising of the product, claiming it was healthy.


Just what is in Nutella? If you go online to their site they hide the ingredients, telling you that it is made from hazelnuts and cocoa. In fact, I couldn't even find the ingredients on their site. But I did find them elsewhere:



Sugar, vegetable oil, hazelnuts (13%), cocoa powder (7.4%), non-fat milk solids, emulsifier (soy lecithin), flavour (vanillin).

So actually Nutella is 55% sugar and although they state there are over 50 hazelnuts in each jar, the hazelnuts only account for 13% of the ingredients. 

Nutella is a smooth and creamy chocolate bar, nothing more.

What's the deal with the class action suit? They have to pay out $3.05 million dollars. To be eligible you must have purchased Nutella between August 1, 2009 and January 23, 2012. The lawsuit is valid in the U.S. only.

You will receive $4.00 for each jar purchased, up to 5 jars, no receipts necessary. That's $20.00. I filled out my claim and timed how long it took me. One minute. 

Although I always knew Nutella was not a healthy choice, shame on them for marketing to fools like that. I guess people will believe whatever they want to believe.

Me? I am waiting for my $20.00 in the mail!



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