Have you seen the NuVal Symbol?

Meijer has implemented a nutritional scoring system called NuVal that gives consumers a quick way to determine the degree of nutritional value they would be getting in foods.  Have you seen this symbol when shopping at Meijer?

NuVal was developed by medical and nutrition experts that gives a food a score from 1-100.  The higher the score the better the nutrition and therefore the better option!  The factors that influence the NuVal score include:

1. Fat Quality: omega-3's, poly- and mono-unsaturated vs. saturated or trans fats

2. Carbohydrates: foods with fiber score higher than foods with more added sugar

3. Vitamins & Minerals: the major vitamins examined include A, B6, C, D, E, folate, potassium, calcium, & magnesium

4. Carotenoids & Flavonoids: foods that are high in these antioxidants score higher than foods with no or low amounts of antioxidants. 

Some foods that have higher scores include: pineapple (99), blueberries (100), grapefruit (99), green beans (100), broccoli (100), tomatoes (96). Find out the scores of the foods you eat most by going to NuVal's website scoring page.

Obviously, a nutrition scoring systems gives rise to the good foods vs. the bad foods mentality.  It tells consumers not to eat foods with scores that are low and vice versa for foods with scores that are high.  At HNT we recommend a well rounded meal plan that can be made up of all foods in moderation.  This system is just one way to help guide your decisions if you are trying to consume foods that have more nutritional value that the foods you are currently consuming. 

Next time you're in Meijer or another store that has NuVal Scores, check out the scores of the foods you are placing in your cart-you might be surprised with some of the numbers!