Nutrition Made Easy: Nuval

Nutrition Made Easy:  Nuval

You may have noticed that some of the local grocery stores are using a new system called NuVal. Foods each are given a score. Program scores are part of the price labeling attached to grocery shelves.
 NuVal Nutrition Scoring System was developed by an independent team of nutrition and medical experts from leading universities and health organizations. Based on a score of 1 to 100, foods with higher scores are generally higher in nutritional value than foods with lower scores.

Scoring is based on the presence of more than 30 nutrients, including carbohydrates, fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiver, vitamins, protein, minerals, and antioxidants. Scores reflect how these nutrients influence health, and how they relate to the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and those of the Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes.

Scores are formulated so side-by-side comparisons of nutrition values can be made at a glance, while you shop. Simply compare NuVal numbers for similar products, then purchase the one with the higher score.

For example, a box of crackers made with whole wheat flour may only score 13 NuVal points, while a cracker made with whole wheat flour earns a score of 45.