Written By: Sofia Layarda, MPH
Title: Master of Public Health
Alumni: University of California, Berkeley
Last Updated on:
Nutrition Faceoff: Nutella vs. Chocolate Cream Cheese
Do you serve chocolate for breakfast? Some food manufacturers apparently think it is perfectly reasonable to do so. Here are two chocolate-flavored spreads that are marketed as breakfast items. Is one better than the other?
Table of Contents
Nutrition Faceoff: Philadelphia Chocolate Cream Cheese vs. Nutella
| Kraft Philadelphia Indulgence – Dark Chocolate | Ferrero – Nutella | |
| Serving Size | 2 tbs | 2 tbs |
| Calories | 110 kcal | 200 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 12 g | 21 g |
| Fat | 7 g (4 g saturated fat) | 12 g (4 g saturated fat) |
| Protein | 1 g | 2 g |
| Sugar | 10 g | 21 g |
| Ingredients | Pasteurized nonfat milk and milkfat, semisweet chocolate (chocolate processed with alkali, sugar, soy lecithin [emulsifier]), sugar, water, whey protein concentrate, cocoa processed with alkali, whey, salt, vanillin, carob bean gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, lactic acid, sorbic acid (as a preservative), cheese culture, vitamin A palmitate. | Sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin |
Nutrition Faceoff: Chocolate Spread – Dietitian’s Take
A closer look at the two chocolate spread products:
- For the same serving size, Nutella has double the amount of sugar and 70% more fat than the Kraft chocolate cream cheese spread.
- The Philly chocolate cream cheese spread has a much longer ingredient list than Nutella, with many additives, including an emulsifier and a preservative.
- One of the selling points of Nutella is that it is “made with hazelnuts.” While this is true, the first two ingredients are sugar and palm oil; hazelnutsare only the third ingredient. In other words, there’s more sugar and palm oil than hazelnuts in the spread.
Our Pick: Nutella
Frankly, neither one of these two products is our favorite. For the purpose of this exercise, if these were the only two products available, we would reluctantly choose Nutella. Calorically, the Nutella spread has similar calories to an equal serving of butter or peanut butter, and it has a shorter ingredient list than the Philly chocolate cream cheese.
However, the bottom line is that there are better alternatives to use for your toast in the morning. Natural nut or seed butters, for a similar caloric load, would have no added sugar, more fiber and certainly no additives. If you need a nut-free alternative, try pumpkin seed butter. Save chocolate-flavored anything for an occasional treat instead of a regular breakfast item.
Alumni: University of California, Berkeley – Sofia believes in bringing back fun and pleasure into everyday eating. She loves cooking, and is constantly experimenting with ingredients, creating recipes and trying them out on family and friends. Her latest interest lies in finding realistic and practical ways of environmentally-friendly food/eating habits.
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