TuscMoms.com

Anyone think these are good to give kids? I have the "Chik'N Nuggets" and have given a few to Jack at lunch. They are veggie chicken nuggets so I was thinking - no harm in that. Plus I enjoy these products too and have never felt they were bad for me. But I've never inspected the label until recently.

490 mg of sodium for 4 nuggets.

Hmmmmmm.

They are high in sodium, as most pre-packaged foods are. In addition to that, they are full of not-so-natural-ingredients - artificial flavors, colrs sometimes, etc. that I would rather avoid. Look at how long the ingredients lists are! There are "cleaner" meatless options available, from Boca and Amy's, for two examples.

You know what's interesting? Parents magazine lists these as a healthy alternative to chicken nuggets in this month's issue...

Hmm...maybe it a question of lesser of two evils? They don't have cholesterol or trans fats and aren't fried, I suppose, so are likely much lower in saturated fats. But I stay away from them for all the reasons I said before.

I mean, this is just too many ingredients for me:
Ingredients:
TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, WATER FOR HYDRATION), WATER, ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WHEAT FLOUR, EGG WHITES, CORN OIL, CORN STARCH. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF WHEAT STARCH, SALT, MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CELLULOSE GUM, SOY FIBER, DEXTROSE, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, MALTODEXTRIN, SUGAR, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, NATURAL FLAVORS FROM NON-MEAT SOURCES, WHEY, ONION POWDER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SOYBEAN OIL, DISODIUM INOSINATE, PAPRIKA, GARLIC POWDER, GUAR GUM, SPICES, DRIED YEAST, CARAMEL COLOR, XANTHAN GUM, SODIUM ALGINATE, YELLOW CORN FLOUR, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CARRAGEENAN, PAPRIKA EXTRACT (FOR COLOR), ANNATTO EXTRACT (FOR COLOR), WHEAT FIBER, CELERY OLEORESIN, YEAST EXTRACT, TOMATO POWDER, VITAMINS AND MINERALS (NIACINAMIDE, IRON [FERROUS SULFATE], VITAMIN B1 [THIAMIN MONONITRATE], VITAMIN B6 [PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE], VITAMIN B2 [RIBOFLAVIN], VITAMIN B12 [CYANOCOBALAMIN]), SAFFLOWER OIL, LACTIC ACID, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, CITRIC ACID, DRIED PARSLEY.

And check out the sodium.
http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/images/ServeImage....2d6af13715f5fcaee436

At least I know what 95% of those ingredients are. I can't stand to read a lable when you have no idea what is in them. And I think 490 mg is wayyyyyyy to much sodium for 4 nuggets.

Yeah, I'm going to stop buying them.
FYI, in the magazine, they're listed as a "sneaky meat swap."
The magazine calls it a "healthy alternative" to chicken nuggets. It says you will save 65 calories, 10 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat by serving these instead.
But, yeah, that sodium is killer. And all those ingredients turn me off too.

FWIW, the magazine also tells moms to swap:

*Hot dogs for Jennie-O Turkey Franks

*Hamburger for Perdue Turkey Patties

*Sausage Links for Applegate Farms Chicken & Apple Sausage

We buy Boca "chicken" nuggests sometimes - my husband and son like them, but they still have some stuff in them I'd rather they didn't eat (caramel color, for one, yeast extract for another), but that is still on the junk food side of things for our house.
But for prepared things like pizza and veggie burgers, I strongly prefer Amy's brand. Their foods are much cleaner - like Ronald's mom said, you can understand all the ingredients. All natural and often organic too. But like all pre-lackaged foods, there is too much sodium in them, so they're not an everday meal item or anthing. I happen to have just had a litle Amy's pizza tonight.
http://www.amys.com/products/category_view.php?prod_category=1