Seven Sundays Sunflower cereal, KIND bars, La Croix: Product Review Roundup
A review of nutrition facts and ingredients to help you make an informed choice.
Hello, readers! In this week’s edit, I’m reviewing three popular products: Seven Sundays Sunflower cereal, KIND nut bars, and La Croix sparkling water.
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If you haven’t already, check out my first Product Review Roundup here for some important context. As a reminder, when I review a product, I’m considering:
Level of processing.
How the product fits into a healthy dietary pattern. Reminder: no single food has the power to make you healthy or unhealthy.
Where nutrients are sourced from in a product (ingredients), and how significant an ingredient is in contributing to the nutritional value of the food (nutrition facts).
Marketing claims.
How the product compares to others on the market.
Let’s dive in.
Seven Sundays Sunflower Cereal
Seven Sundays Sunflower cereal is a line of grain-free cereal. They are marketed as being “100% real food” and containing “no refined sugar”.
Nutrition Profile
Seven Sundays Sunflower Cereal (Real Cocoa flavour) contains 6 g of fat, including 4 g of saturated fat, primarily sourced from coconut oil (approximately 1 teaspoon per serving), with trace amounts also coming from cocoa powder. It contains 30 mg of sodium from sea salt. Each serving provides 27 g of total carbohydrates from cassava flour, dates, and coconut sugar. This includes 3 g of fibre from cassava and dates, and 5 g of sugar from dates and coconut sugar. The cereal also contains 5 g of protein from sunflower protein.
Overall Review
Seven Sundays Sunflower Cereal has a simple ingredient list (which is in line with the “100% real food” claim). The primary source of carbohydrates is cassava, which contains resistant starch (which acts like a fibre), while dates serve as the main sweetener. Overall, it’s a well-rounded cereal with a nice balance of protein, fats, and carbs and is low in sugar. This cereal stands out compared to other grain-free cereals on the market as it contains a decent amount of fibre, despite being grain-free, and is low in sugar without the use of non-sugar sweeteners. Both of these attributes are rare in the grain-free cereal category. The other way that this cereal stands out is with the use of dates as a sweetener. Dates are naturally sweet yet low glycemic index, making this a better-for-you option compared to traditionally sugar-sweetened cereals.
That said, if you’re just looking for a generally healthy cereal (not specifically grain-free), this one doesn’t stand out all that much (aside from the price tag $$$). I typically recommend at least 4 g of fibre in a cereal, and this one falls just short. However, 3 g is actually pretty good when you compare it to most gluten-free cereals, which often have very little fibre. When it comes to protein, many whole-grain cereals naturally provide 4–6 g per serving without added protein powder, so the protein here isn’t exactly a standout. And many of those cereals also have relatively simple ingredient lists without additives, so that’s not a unique selling point either.
TL; DR: Seven Sundays is an excellent option if you’re looking for a gluten-free or sweet-tasting cereal.
For everything you need to know about how to select a cereal, check out my cereal guide here👇.
KIND Nut Bars
KIND bars are popular and widely available snack bars. They’re marketed as being made with “whole ingredients like nuts, mixed with fruits and spices bound together with honey”.
Nutrition Profile
The KIND Honey Roasted Nuts & Sea Salt bar contains 15 g of fat from peanuts, almonds, and cashews. This is mainly unsaturated fats with 2 g of saturated fat (from nuts). They contain 135 mg of sodium from sea salt. Each bar provides 15 g of total carbohydrates from sugar, fibre, and rice flour, including 4 g of fibre from chicory root. There is 5 g of sugar per bar, with 3 g of added sugar from honey, glucose syrup, and cane sugar. There is also 7 g of protein per bar from peanuts, almonds, and cashews.
Overall Review
KIND bars provide a source of healthy fats and protein from nuts, and a good amount of fibre. Though their marketing statement of using only “whole” ingredients is a stretch, their ingredient list is still relatively simple, with most of the nutrients coming from nuts, and the processed ingredients providing minimal nutrition. While KIND bars can range in sugar content, with some containing up to 13 grams per bar, there are plenty of low-sugar flavours with just 5 grams. For reference, the lowest sugar granola or nut-based snack bars on the market (without the use of non-sugar sweeteners) contain 4 g of sugar, so 5 g can be considered relatively low.
To keep the sugar content low, choose a flavour with 5 grams of sugar (see the list below). While these flavours contain multiple sources of sugar, the overall sugar content remains low. For example, in the Honey Roasted Nuts & Sea Salt flavour, each source contributes 1 gram or less. So, while glucose syrup is a high glycemic sugar source, let’s not waste our time stressing over <1 g of sugar.
The low sugar flavours are: Honey Roasted Nuts & Sea Salt, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Almond Mint, Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond, Dark Chocoalte Nuts & Sea Salt, Madagascar Vanilla Almond, Maple Glazed Pecan and Sea Salt, and Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Nut.
The only additive in KIND bars is soy lecithin, which isn’t a concern. You can read more about it in my deep dive on lecithin here.
TL;DR: KIND nut bars are a great choice. Select a low-sugar flavour (5 g sugar) to minimize added sugar content.
La Croix Sparkling Water
La Croix is a flavoured sparkling water beverage marketed as “0 calories, 0 sugar, 0 sweeteners = innocent!”.
Nutrition Profile
La Croix sparkling water offers no significant nutritional value. Each can contains zero calories and is free from both sugar and non-sugar sweeteners. It’s made with carbonated water and natural flavours.
Overall Review
La Croix is a solid option if you’re looking for a sugar-free carbonated drink. A positive is that it is free from both sugar and non-sugar sweeteners, which gives it a lighter, more subtle flavour compared to the overly sweet-tasting sugar-free sodas on the market.
Natural flavours can be a bit controversial, as they sometimes include artificial additives - you can read more about Natural Flavours in my deep dive here. In the case of La Croix, the natural flavours are directly sourced from whole ingredients and haven’t been heavily processed. For example, their grapefruit flavour is made using actual grapefruit essence. One thing to keep in mind with any carbonated drink is the potential impact on dental health, as the combination of carbonation and acidity can wear down tooth enamel over time. So, while La Croix is a great soda alternative, it’s not a substitute for water and is best enjoyed occasionally.
TL; DR: La Croix is a great option!
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Talk soon,
~Brittany
“The Grocery Edit” is written by Brittany Raftis, MScFN, RD. She works as a Registered Dietitian and is passionate about helping people sort through the confusion of ingredients and nutrition facts to reduce stress surrounding daily food choices. She uses an evidence-based approach to clear up misinformation about nutrition and help people select the right products to support their health and enjoyment of food.
what are your thoughts in general on all of these being sugar bombs/ in general the take that the car to fiber ratio is just sugar ultimately in your body.