New “Food Compass” Rates Ice Cream Better For You Than Multigrain Bagel

Health researchers from Tufts University suggests you may be better off snacking on chips or ice cream cone with chopped nuts, rather than a multigrain bagel. The scientific team at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition and Science created what’s being described as “a new nutrient profiling system” that is designed “to help consumers, food companies, restaurants, and cafeterias choose and produce healthier foods.”

The Food Compass, the system rates foods on a 1-100 point scale, with 100 being the healthiest rating, and bases the scores on such factors as nutrients, food ingredients, processing characteristics and additives.

The system does yield some ratings that might come as a surprise to food shoppers, however. Many items that might conventionally be considered unhealthy received a score of higher than 50. Among them are such snacks as plain Fritos (55), lightly salted potato chips (69) and chocolate-covered almonds (78).

By contrast, some items that are often deemed healthier choices get a score lower than 50. Among them: reduced-calorie rye bread (34), Kellogg’s K, +0.24% Corn Flakes (19) and a multigrain bagel with raisins (19).

The research was released last year, but has resurfaced on viral Google searches, and has been trending on social media in the last few days. Much has been made about the fact that a helping of chocolate ice cream with nuts served in a cone gets a higher score — 37 — than that multigrain bagel. Click Here To Read More.

Source: Marketwatch