Nutella-A Healthy Breakfast or Not? -You Decide (Ferrero Nutella)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Ferrero Nutella
Date:	11/01/09 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Divine taste and contains vitamins and minerals and is low GI.

Disadvantages: High in sugar and fat.

I might have to lock this up-it could be expensive as now my family are on the trail!


I have no idea why it has taken a woman approaching 50 all these years to eat this. I don't know if it's Dooyoo or my hormones but suddenly I am getting all these urges to buy new and different things. I have a chocolate love which rivals that of most other things (except hubby, children, and dogs) and to have let this spread lie alone on the cluttered shelves of supermarkets is a sin I have now corrected!

So with my new little jar in my hand which I rescued from the back of my cupboard I decided with a sell by date of the end of this month it was time to try it! I had bought this a while ago and forgotten it was there so even after jumping into my basket it was lying dormant somewhere else! I checked my supermarket.com today and it will cost £1.49 for 400g but mine was only 200g.

I set a breakfast table and with my husband we embarked on the serious job of trying it! I had purchased a loaf of Dove's Farm wholemeal bread which will be in a review coming soon and had cut generous slices. To give the spread competition I parked it next to a jar of Tiptree Marmalade (Living in Essex near to the farms and factory making this it's a good rival!).

My first thoughts about the spread were positive. The jar is made from glass which I liked and the top was secured by a white plastic lid which looked appetising and clean. Nuts decorate the label on the side and the top was quickly off to reveal what looked like a melted but solid version of galaxy. I thought to myself "this looks like heaven!". I might have to buy a cupboard with a lock to hide this away from others in search of it! Although this jar is glass and makes a glass beaker afterwards I think they have now gone onto making the spread in plastic as this is all I have seen recently. I think maybe the glass beakers are on promotions sometimes and may only be for the small 200g size.

The texture was pleasing being solid but easily spreadable and because the spread has chocolate added the hazelnuts which actually make up 13% are overshadowed and dominated by the intense chocolate flavour. It doesn't matter though as you can tell the spread has a magic ingredient but without knowing it was hazelnuts you probably wouldn't guess! Sugar however is the main ingredient so it does have to be viewed with caution if you are serving it to young children, and of course the spread is totally unsuitable for anyone with a nut allergy.


So the onset of breakfast saw myself and hubby together and my son lounging in bed till all hours. I cut myself a small square of the bread first to make sure I didn't waste any if it wasn't good, whereas my husband spread a full slice-that's men for you!
I had already put a layer of Flora Proactive on hopefully to offset the fat, mind you it is free from hydrogenated fats, whereas hubby adorned his with a sheet of butter. Neither of us were disappointed. The taste was utterly delicious and different and it made a refreshing change! Later on we were joined by our 16 year old son awakened from his slumbers who was seen scooping teaspoons out of the jar with gusto-hence my lock and key idea!

It is a food which is actually low GI which means it keeps your blood sugar level at a more constant figure removing the urge to indulge in those mid morning Danish pastries!

Its strange how I never tried it before today. I had seen it in France many times when in Paris- lots of tourists are often seen indulging in a crepe spread with Nutella

Over the last few months I have gradually been losing weight with my own method which has meant I have been eating 5 small low GI meals each day. This will certainly be a possible breakfast and a good alternative to my normal granola.

My only concern really is the sugar content because a similar low GI breakfast like porridge will be fewer calories. Also a concern is my upcoming annual dental inspection- one where getting crowns is not at all an experience to be treasured like the Dooyoo variety!

A couple of years ago Nutella ran an advertising campaign which highlighted the way the spread was full of skimmed milk, cocoa and hazelnuts promoting it as a healthy breakfast. After over 50 complaints to The Advertising Standards Agency it was pulled as it failed to say that the spread was also high in fat and was half sugar. Make of it what you will, but in small quantities it may be a good breakfast especially if it prevents the mid morning snack, and it does have to be compared with what you might normally eat instead!

I discovered the spread has been made since the 1940s and was started by its founder Pietro Ferrero, but its infancy was in a loaf form where slices would be sold from tin foil. In the war when rationing affected chocolate the spread used hazelnuts sourced from Northern Italy. In 1983 the spread began to be imported into the USA where it was so popular they had to create their own plant in New Jersey! It is now more popular than peanut butter and is sold in over 75 countries!

I think in conclusion this is a delicious spread and as long as you eat it in moderation it can be part of a balanced diet. 15g of the spread is 80 calories and is low in salt, and has Vitamin E, zinc, and magnesium, so spread on a slice of wholewheat bread you are looking at a 200 calorie breakfast. I have given it 3* because of the fat and sugar content as I wouldn't want to suggest it is a food to be eaten every day.

Summary: A great breakfast alternative to be enjoyed in moderation.