{"id":557058555977,"title":"Nutella Ingredient Review: Is The Popular Snack Unhealthy?","created_at":"2022-10-20T16:18:34-04:00","body_html":"\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\/\/ \u003c![CDATA[\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"Nutella Ingredient Review: Is The Popular Snack Unhealthy?\",\n \"keywords\": \"nutella, nutella ingredients, ingredient nutella, ingredients in nutella, is nutella healthy, healthy nutella, nutella healthy, is nutella unhealthy\",\n \"description\": \"Our research team reviews every ingredient in Nutella to give our take on whether it's healthy or unhealthy. We compare Nutella's sugar content to popular alternatives, and share a video that visually represents every Nutella ingredient with some surprising results.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/nutella-ingredient-review\",\n\"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. 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The brand advertises that it’s made with “7 carefully selected quality ingredients.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBut are there any questionable ingredients in Nutella like artificial flavors? What are the ingredients? Is the product healthy overall? And are there healthier alternatives on the market?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review every ingredient in Nutella based on medical research and give our take on whether it’s healthy or unhealthy. We’ll also share an interesting video visually breaking down the ingredients in Nutella, and a video tutorial on making healthy Nutella at home.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIngredient Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Nutella_Ingredients_Optimized.png?v=1666298355\" alt=\"Nutella ingredients\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAs would be expected in a sweet, chocolate spread, the first ingredient is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003esugar\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. One serving of Nutella contains 21 grams (g) of sugar and 19 g of added sugar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe know from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/31246081\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical research\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e that consuming added sugar in excess is associated with a range of negative health outcomes, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We recommend avoiding added sugar as much as possible, and we consider 19 g to be a large amount for one serving, especially considering that consumers are likely to eat more than one serving of Nutella at a time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSkim milk\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is a relatively nutritious ingredient, but Nutella makes no reference to whether the milk they use is sourced from grass-fed animals, so we’ll assume it’s not. A \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6434678\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal found grass-fed dairy products to be more nutritious than dairy from conventionally-raised animals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVanillin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is a flavoring agent that’s found in vanilla beans but is typically derived from crude oil when used in manufacturing. We consider this to be one of the safest non-toxic flavoring agents, and while we generally recommend avoiding added flavoring, we can’t locate any medical studies suggesting that this ingredient is harmful.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe have no issues with any of the other ingredients (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ehazelnuts\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003epalm oil\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ecocoa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003elecithin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOverall we think it’s a good thing that Nutella uses mostly whole foods as ingredients, but we do consider the product to be unhealthy given the high amount of added sugar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOne of the most popular (and interesting) YouTube videos on the ingredients in Nutella is a visual representation of the ingredients which shows how much sugar is in a full jar. The video has nearly 200,000 views at the time of writing this article:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s9_tdM29RUk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOur Hazelnut Chocolate Spread Recommendation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Chocolate_Hazelnut_Spread_Image.png?v=1666298389\" alt=\"\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe product we recommend for a hazelnut chocolate spread is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"sponsored\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Sm8BLD\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEliot’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt has significantly less added sugar per serving than Nutella (2 g versus 19 g), and is free of flavoring agents. It has a simple ingredient list: roasted hazelnuts, powdered sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, salt.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis is the healthiest hazelnut chocolate spread that we could locate after reviewing the ingredients in all of the popular options. It’s also sold in a glass jar which is better for human health (no potentially endocrine-disrupting microplastics) and for environmental health in our opinion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eInterested consumers can check out Eliot’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"sponsored\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Sm8BLD\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eat this Amazon link\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMake a Healthy Nutella At Home\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA popular YouTube channel called “Downshiftology” has a video on how to make a healthy Nutella at home. The video is only 3 minutes long and uses healthier ingredients than exist in Nutella in our opinion:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_gspUQ11CuQ\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe consider Nutella to be unhealthy. It’s definitely not the worst snack product out there, and it’s good that the majority of the ingredients are whole foods. However, Nutella contains a relatively large amount of added sugar, and the milk appears to be sourced from conventionally-raised animals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn our opinion, choosing a chocolate hazelnut spread with significantly less added sugar would be a healthier option than Nutella.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eYou can also make a Nutella alternative at home using easily-sourced ingredients, and we shared a video demonstrating the process in this article.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":49281925193,"author":"Calloway Cook","user_id":26601750601,"published_at":"2022-10-20T16:49:01-04:00","updated_at":"2022-10-23T02:48:29-04:00","summary_html":"We review every ingredient in Nutella to give our take on whether it's healthy or unhealthy. We compare Nutella's sugar content to popular alternatives, and share a video that visually represents every Nutella ingredient with some surprising results.","template_suffix":"","handle":"nutella-ingredient-review","tags":"_related:nutrition"}

Nutella Ingredient Review: Is The Popular Snack Unhealthy?

Nutella Ingredient Review: Is The Popular Snack Unhealthy?


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Nutella is one of the most popular and most well-known food products in the world. The brand advertises that it’s made with “7 carefully selected quality ingredients.”

But are there any questionable ingredients in Nutella like artificial flavors? What are the ingredients? Is the product healthy overall? And are there healthier alternatives on the market?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review every ingredient in Nutella based on medical research and give our take on whether it’s healthy or unhealthy. We’ll also share an interesting video visually breaking down the ingredients in Nutella, and a video tutorial on making healthy Nutella at home.

Ingredient Review

Nutella ingredients

As would be expected in a sweet, chocolate spread, the first ingredient is sugar. One serving of Nutella contains 21 grams (g) of sugar and 19 g of added sugar.

We know from medical research that consuming added sugar in excess is associated with a range of negative health outcomes, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We recommend avoiding added sugar as much as possible, and we consider 19 g to be a large amount for one serving, especially considering that consumers are likely to eat more than one serving of Nutella at a time.

Skim milk is a relatively nutritious ingredient, but Nutella makes no reference to whether the milk they use is sourced from grass-fed animals, so we’ll assume it’s not. A medical review published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal found grass-fed dairy products to be more nutritious than dairy from conventionally-raised animals.

Vanillin is a flavoring agent that’s found in vanilla beans but is typically derived from crude oil when used in manufacturing. We consider this to be one of the safest non-toxic flavoring agents, and while we generally recommend avoiding added flavoring, we can’t locate any medical studies suggesting that this ingredient is harmful.

We have no issues with any of the other ingredients (hazelnuts, palm oil, cocoa, lecithin). 

Overall we think it’s a good thing that Nutella uses mostly whole foods as ingredients, but we do consider the product to be unhealthy given the high amount of added sugar.

One of the most popular (and interesting) YouTube videos on the ingredients in Nutella is a visual representation of the ingredients which shows how much sugar is in a full jar. The video has nearly 200,000 views at the time of writing this article:

Our Hazelnut Chocolate Spread Recommendation

The product we recommend for a hazelnut chocolate spread is Eliot’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.

It has significantly less added sugar per serving than Nutella (2 g versus 19 g), and is free of flavoring agents. It has a simple ingredient list: roasted hazelnuts, powdered sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, salt.

This is the healthiest hazelnut chocolate spread that we could locate after reviewing the ingredients in all of the popular options. It’s also sold in a glass jar which is better for human health (no potentially endocrine-disrupting microplastics) and for environmental health in our opinion.

Interested consumers can check out Eliot’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread at this Amazon link.

Make a Healthy Nutella At Home

A popular YouTube channel called “Downshiftology” has a video on how to make a healthy Nutella at home. The video is only 3 minutes long and uses healthier ingredients than exist in Nutella in our opinion:

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Conclusion

We consider Nutella to be unhealthy. It’s definitely not the worst snack product out there, and it’s good that the majority of the ingredients are whole foods. However, Nutella contains a relatively large amount of added sugar, and the milk appears to be sourced from conventionally-raised animals.

In our opinion, choosing a chocolate hazelnut spread with significantly less added sugar would be a healthier option than Nutella.

You can also make a Nutella alternative at home using easily-sourced ingredients, and we shared a video demonstrating the process in this article.




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