Product Review: Triscuits vs. Wheat Thins

There are many questions I get asked as a nutrition professional. I would say one of the more frequently asked questions I get is regarding how to choose between certain products and which one is better for our health. Today I will give an example of a product review and share with you the guidelines on how I personally choose between products in the store.

To follow a healthy diet there are a few rules I follow to get me the most nutrients including fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins, complex carbohydrates etc., for the least amount of calories.

1. Eat whole foods: Whole foods describes foods that are left in their natural state with minimal processing. When I talk about processing, I refer to the act of adding preservatives, fats, sugar, salts, and other ingredients that do not naturally occur in foods. Whole foods include...

• Raw, dried, or frozen fruits

• Raw, or frozen vegetables

• Whole grains such as breads, crackers, and cereals with minimal processing

• Dairy products such as yogurt, milk, or cheese with minimal processing

• Beans and legumes

• Raw meats with minimal processing

2. Eat a variety of different foods: Eating a variety of foods including lean meats, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, etc. ensures an intake of an array of different nutrients.

3. Eat in color: Eating in color sort of goes with eating a variety of foods. When you eat foods in an array of colors you ensure the intake of different food groups as well as different nutrients. Especially seen with fruits and vegetables, different colors of foods contain high amounts of different vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

I know as well as anyone that sometimes processed foods are necessary to mix things up in a diet. I regularly consume cereals, breads, pasta, etc all of which has to be processed in some way to make the ingredients into the form you want. There are a few tricks that I often use in the grocery store to ensure I choose the best possible processed products when I do purchase them. These tricks include...

1. When shopping, try to stick to the perimeter of the grocery. The perimeter of the grocery store typically holds the whole foods including low-fat dairy, lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and fresh bakery items.

2. As not all healthy products are housed in the perimeter of the grocery store, we must sometimes venture into the center aisles. When we do go into the center aisles it is very important to look at the nutrition fact and ingredient labels of products before choosing between them. To ensure you are choosing the product with the most whole foods and minimal processing, generally speaking you should choose the product with the least amount of ingredients.

Take Triscuits and Wheat Thins for example. Pictured above, they both look like healthy whole grain crackers. But they are actually very different.

Serving Size: 6 Crackers

Ingredients: whole grain wheat, vegetable oil, sea salt

Serving Size: 16 Crackers

Ingredients: enriched unbleached wheat flour, brown rice syrup, potato starch, defatted wheat germ, salt, malted barley extract, spices, leavening, whole grain barley flakes, whole grain rye, whole grain triticale, sun-dried tomatoes, whole grain millet, dried garlic, dried onions, vegetable color, citric acid, natural flavor

Which one do you believe is the healthier option?

Both crackers are undoubtedly whole grain, and both are close in nutritional value. While wheat thins have a serving size of 16 crackers and triscuits a serving size of 6, it would seem as though wheat thins are the better choice. But, based on the rules I mentioned above triscuits are the healthier choice. Why? The truth lies in the ingredients.

Triscuits may have a smaller serving size but there are only three ingredients and all three are known as whole grains with minimal processing. Wheat thins on the other hand contain 18 ingredients most of which are listed as whole grains, but what about the remaining ingredients? Potato starch adds moisture to baked goods, malted barley extract acts as a natural whole grain sweetener, and citric acid acts as an organic, all-natural preservative.

So even though wheat thins have more ingredients and contain a preservative does that make it a bad product or bad for your health? Absolutely not. Wheat thins may have more ingredients but all ingredients are natural, whole grain, and whole foods with minimal processing. On the contrary, wheat thins are more heavily processed than triscuits and therefore farther from a whole whole food.

With these particular products, the choice would be of personal preference rather. For me, my preference would be to purchase triscuits as they are more minimally processed and more of a whole food. What's important to take away from this example is that research is important. If you are unsure of what an ingredient is in a product use google on your smart phone and find out what it is. Education is key, and when you take the time to educate yourself your body will obtain the proper nutrition as well as the most natural ingredients.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about a specific topic please contact me here. Otherwise choose smart at the grocery store, and remember do your research!

References:

1. Mondelez International. Nabisco triscuit baked whole grain wheat original. Mondelez International Website. http://www.snackworks.com/products/product-detail.aspx?product=4400002795. Accessed March 8, 2017.

2. Mondelez International. Nabisco wheat thins original. Mondelez International Website. http://www.snackworks.com/products/product-detail.aspx?product=4400000225. Accessed March 8, 2017.

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