Nutella has been a beloved spread for over 60 years, gracing breakfast tables worldwide and creating moments of joy with its delicious taste. Famous for its authentic hazelnut and cocoa flavor, enhanced by a unique creaminess, Nutella offers a delectable experience in just a small portion. While Nutella commercials often highlight the spread as a quick and easy breakfast option, especially appealing to children, it's essential to examine its nutritional value to determine if it truly fits into a healthy diet.
What is Nutella?
Nutella is a sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread produced by Ferrero, a prominent Italian confectionery company. Originally created in Italy during World War II by baker Pietro Ferrero, Nutella was a solution to cocoa shortages, incorporating ground hazelnuts into a chocolate spread. Today, Nutella enjoys global popularity and is commonly used as a topping for breakfast toast, pancakes, and waffles.
Ingredients of Nutella
Ferrero emphasizes the carefully selected, quality ingredients that make up Nutella. These ingredients include:
- Sugar: The primary ingredient, comprising 57% of Nutella's weight, is either beet or refined cane sugar, depending on the production location.
- Palm Oil: This vegetable oil, derived from the fruit of the oil palm tree, provides Nutella with its signature creamy texture and spreadability. Ferrero states that it is making an effort to use certified sustainable palm oil.
- Hazelnuts: Each jar contains the equivalent of approximately 50 hazelnuts, contributing to Nutella's distinctive flavor.
- Cocoa: Sourced mainly from Western Africa, the cocoa beans are processed into a fine powder, imparting a chocolatey taste to the spread.
- Skimmed Milk Powder: This ingredient is made by removing water from pasteurized non-fat milk, resulting in a longer shelf life without refrigeration.
- Soy Lecithin: An emulsifier derived from soybeans, soy lecithin prevents ingredient separation, maintaining a smooth and uniform texture.
- Vanillin: A synthetic form of vanillin, a flavor component naturally found in vanilla bean extract, is used in Nutella.
Nutritional Value of Nutella
A standard two-tablespoon (37-gram) serving of Nutella contains:
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 12 grams
- Sugar: 21 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Calcium: 4% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI)
- Iron: 4% of the RDI
The % Daily Value (DV) indicates how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. This serving provides 17% of the daily value for total fat and 18% for saturated fat. The carbohydrate content is 22g, including 1g of dietary fiber and 21g of sugar. While Nutella offers small amounts of calcium and iron, it is primarily high in sugar, calories, and fat, making it not particularly nutritious.
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Why Nutella Isn't a Health Food
Despite being advertised as a simple and quality product, Nutella's high sugar and fat content raises health concerns.
High Sugar Content
Sugar is the most abundant ingredient in Nutella, contributing significantly to its sweet taste. A single serving contains 21 grams of sugar, equivalent to about 5 teaspoons. This amount surpasses the sugar content in comparable servings of some chocolate frostings.
The American Heart Association advises women and children to consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar daily, while men should limit their intake to 9 teaspoons (38 grams). Consuming just two tablespoons of Nutella can bring a woman or child close to their daily added sugar limit.
Excessive added sugar consumption is linked to numerous health issues, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, cognitive decline, and certain cancers.
High Fat and Calorie Content
A two-tablespoon serving of Nutella contains 200 calories. Given its sweet and creamy nature, it can be easy to exceed the recommended serving size, leading to excessive calorie consumption. Regular overconsumption can contribute to weight gain, especially in children.
Read also: Chocolate Hazelnut Keto Spread
Palm oil, the second most prevalent ingredient in Nutella, contributes to its high fat content. While fats are essential for health, excessive fat intake can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Not a Nut Butter Substitute
Although Nutella is often referred to as a hazelnut spread, it should not be considered a nut butter substitute. While nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter are also high in calories and fat, natural nut butters offer significantly more nutritional benefits.
Natural nut butters typically contain only nuts and sometimes salt, whereas Nutella contains added sugars and oils. For example, a 2-tablespoon serving of natural almond butter provides essential nutrients like manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, riboflavin, calcium, folate, iron, potassium, and zinc, with less than 1 gram of sugar.
How to Enjoy Nutella in Moderation
Like any high-sugar food, Nutella should be viewed as a treat rather than a staple. Consuming Nutella regularly can significantly increase added sugar intake, which is often already excessive in many diets.
The average American adult consumes around 19.5 teaspoons (82 grams) of added sugar daily, while children consume approximately 19 teaspoons (78 grams) per day. Limiting sugary foods and drinks is crucial for maintaining a healthy diet.
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Instead of using Nutella as a regular breakfast spread, it is best enjoyed in moderation as a dessert. Occasional enjoyment of a small amount is acceptable, but it should not be considered a healthy addition to one's diet, regardless of marketing claims.
Healthier Alternatives and "Health-ifying" Nutella
If you're looking for a healthier alternative to Nutella or ways to enjoy similar flavors with better nutrition, consider these options:
- Natural Nut Butters: Almond, peanut, and cashew butter offer a superior nutritional profile with more healthy fats and protein, and less carbs and sugars.
- Homemade Hazelnut Spreads: You can create your own healthier version of Nutella by blending hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and a natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey.
- Hazelnut Latte Protein Balls: Combine hazelnuts, oats, nut butter, Cafe Latte Shakeology, chia seeds, and maple syrup, then roll into balls for a healthy and convenient snack.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie Bowl: Blend cocoa powder, hazelnuts, and other nutritious ingredients into a smoothie bowl for a satisfying and healthy meal.