Eggnog Anyone?

Let's talk about eggnog.

I was given a sampler pack of coffee from Trader Joe's and fell in love with the gingerbread flavor. What amped up the gingerbread coffee was the addition of eggnog. I started adding a little eggnog instead of cream to my coffee shop Americano at Dutch Bros last holiday season. It really adds a yummy flavor to the coffee and allows me to look forward to something different a few months out of the year, sort of like pumpkin spice season. I'd been drinking the Coffeemate eggnog creamer at home and decided I'd pick up some real eggnog to enjoy in my gingerbread coffee at home.

Did you know not all eggnog is created equal? I was quite surprised myself. I had scanned the light eggnog at Trader Joe's after the new Smart Points (SP) program at WW rolled out. I didn't pay much attention to the amount of SP and ended up not picking up any eggnog. Later when I was at Fred Meyer I decided to pick up some light Viva eggnog. I waited until I got home to scan it and with my WW app and saw that a serving of light egg nog was 8 SP. Since I don't use a full serving in one cup of coffee, it ended up being 2 SP per 1 oz of eggnog. That was the same amount number of SP per serving of Coffeemate creamer.

I'm not sure why but I looked at the scanned entry on the light eggnog at Trader Joe's and saw it was only 5 SP vs the 8 SP that the Viva name brand would cost me. It made me wonder if the WW scanner had not calculated the correct nutritional information for the Trader Joe's light egg nog. Kenyon isn't a fan of light eggnog and preferred regular so I headed back to Trader Joe and compare eggnogs.

Sure enough, the Trader Joe's light eggnog had less calories, fat, and sugar than the Viva light eggnog. Since I was comparing eggnog I scanned the barcode for the Trader Joe's full fat eggnog. It was just slight more calories and fat than the Viva light eggnog but still had less sugar than the Viva light eggnog. The regular Trader Joe's eggnog was 9 SP per serving.

This is why it is important to read your labels. Even though the regular Trader Joe's eggnog is 9 SP vs the Viva light eggnog is 8 SP, there is still less sugar than the Viva light eggnog.

Here is the nutritional breakdown:

Trader Joe's light eggnog: 110 cal, 1g fat, 0g sat fat, 18g carbs, 0 fiber, 18g sugar, and 5g protein – 1 SP per 1 oz serving (no photo of this label)

Viva light eggnog: 160 cal, 4g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 24g carbs, 0 fiber, 23g sugar, and 6g protein – 2 SP per 1 oz serving

Trader Joe's regular eggnog: 180 cal, 9g fat, 5g sat fat, 20g carbs, 0 fiber, 20g sugar, and 5g protein – 2 SP per 1 oz serving

I've been pleasantly surprised by Trader Joe's products and that they often have less sugar and are made of whole ingredients. I also find the price tag is no more than shopping at Walmart. I'm not surprised to see that the Trader Joe's regular eggnog has 3g less sugar and the Viva light eggnog since there is often other additives in a product that the fat has been reduced or removed from. As consumers it is important to read labels and know what is in our food.

And, as a WW member the bottom line shouldn't always be the amount of points in a food item. For me I want to know that the Smart Points value is worth it and that I'm going to enjoy what I am eating. Too often WW members cut out food that is good for you because it is high in points. The new plan can easily make you feel that way. I heard a WW member comment at the meeting that she stopped putting corn and beans on her salad because of the new SP values.

Eggnog in my Americano or gingerbread coffee costs me more SP than half and half does. But, it is also quite tasty and a nice treat so I'm going to keep adding it....on occasion.