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Are Kashi Crackers (cover your ears) Kashit?

February 8, 2010   26 Comments

After taking on Ritz Crackers, I decided to look into other brands of crackers. Kashi crackers really SCREAMED to me from the supermarket shelf. 8g Whole Grains!

Kashi Crackers

The packaging on these crackers is powerful. TLC is "Tasty Little Cracker" on the box but, of course, we think of "Tender Loving Care". These crackers weren't cheap either. At $3.50 for a box, they were at the high end of the crackers on the shelf.

Most of us, when buying crackers, are pretty clueless about what constitutes a great choice. In Ritz Crackers, I covered what we should avoid: high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat, and no fiber. There is nothing to avoid in a Kashi Cracker.

But, what should a cracker INCLUDE that will make it healthy? The simple answer is whole grains. Processing grain takes out the nutrients, protein, and fiber. The best type of grain to use to make a cracker is a whole grain such as whole wheat.

Kashi does have 8 grams whole grains per serving. But, get this, Wasa has 13 grams whole grain per serving. That is over 50% more!

What's the deal? The first ingredient on the Kashi package is wheat flour. This is no different than white flour. The second ingredient is whole wheat. I decided to call Kashi to ask how much of their product is wheat flour. They told me that the information is proprietary because don't want to reveal their recipe.

Basically, all the information that we have to go on is the ingredient list. The first ingredient listed on the box of a processed food is the highest amount in that food.

I was informed by the marketing representative at Kashi, that the cracker wouldn't taste good if whole grain flour was the first ingredient. I disagree - Triscuit's first ingredient is whole grain and it tastes pretty good (as does Wasa).

Remember any amount of whole grain in the product means that they can call the cracker "whole grain". Tricky, no?

Kashi crackers tasted pretty good to me. But, I wouldn't buy them again because they are too expensive, and the company is misrepresenting the product.

They are a stepping stone between Ritz Crackers and a MORE whole grain cracker. For those of you who complained about my treatment of Ritz Crackers, try these. Kashi are better for you than Ritz and taste really good (not like cardboard).

Personally, I think it is better to flavor a cracker with what you put on it - cheese, hummus, or nut butter. This way you have more control over the amount of sugar and fat in your snack.

Do you like Kashi products? Which ones are your favorites? Please share below.

Want to read about more snacks?
A Whole Food Snack of Salty Deliciousness and A Winner!
3 Reasons to Avoid Ritz Crackers
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First 20 Comments: ( See all 26 )

Oh, wow, thanks for exploring that! I've trusted Kashi for so many other things, that I don't even look at their ingredient lists anymore. Big mistake, I see!

on February 8, 2010

I love most if not all of the Kashi products. And like the other comment that was made I sometimes take it for granted that it should be healthy. One of my favorite crackers is the Kashi Heart to Heart crackers....like the Triscuit. Now, I'll have to get out the box & compare the stats on those!

on February 8, 2010

Kashi has some great products - and the point of this post is that not all of them are what they seem. I wish all of them were as good as Heart to Heart which is very similar to a Triscuit. Lisa

on February 8, 2010

This is why I make my own crackers at home! Way healthier and way cheaper, and they still taste amazing.

I agree that Kashi products are NOT healthy... they're "healthIER" than most other food products, but they aren't healthY. Although they do taste great, hehe.

on February 8, 2010

The other thing that is tricky is when I see 8g whole grains, I think fiber, but the grams of fiber is different (usually lower). If you are counting fiber grams (like WW POINTS) you need to look for that in the nutritional label. For my two cents - love Kashi Good Friends cereal, also my current yummy cracker is triscuit rosemary & olive oil flavor.

on February 8, 2010

it is just like the old saying, just because it is low fat or low cal.....does mean it is good for you. it is amazing to me about the kashi crackers. but you really need to read every label. thanks, snack girl.

on February 8, 2010

I don't buy anything unless it says 100% whole grain. That "wheat flour" thing is very misleading. I've found 100% whole grain baking mixes -- Southaven Farm -- which I absolutely love and now I can use a mix to make muffins, cakes, pancakes, all that good stuff. I'm only going with companies that stand behind what they make!

on February 8, 2010

Great post! I knew Kashi wasn't all its cracked up to be but I couldn't put my finger on it. Thanks!

on February 8, 2010

I just watched FoodInc. last night and Kashi is owned by Kellogg's. I never knew that. I checked it out and here is an interesting link of which organic food companies have been bought out by the big food companies. http://www.organicconsumers.org/Corp/mergers.cfm

on February 8, 2010

I like Kashi's roasted Veggie pizza alot! I am thinking it is better for me than regular pizza, even though I am a veggie. What do you think about it? Thanks

on February 8, 2010

I love the Kashi crackers and cereals, but see your point. Just tried Heart to Heart cracker like Triscuit and really like it - much less salt/sodium. Thanks for investigating, Lisa!

on February 8, 2010

My personal favorite is "Mary's Gone Crackers". They come in a variety of flavors, and are all gluten free. They aren't cheap though.

on February 8, 2010

Kim - I had no idea they had a veggie pizza - I will check it out for you. Lisa

on February 8, 2010

I was wondering if our friends at Kashi, and really everywhere, will ever divulge if the corn/wheat/soy, etc. they're using in their products is genetically modified (GMO). Any info on that?!

on February 8, 2010

You know, they are owned by Kellogg's as Josey pointed out so my guess is that it is GMO some of the time. I will check it out.

on February 8, 2010

I love Kashi's "Mayan Harvest Bake" frozen entree - totally different from other froze options. I also like their Autumn Harvest and Cinnamon Harvest cereals - since they're shredded wheat biscuits I can eat them on the train or at my desk when I don't have time to make oatmeal.

on February 8, 2010

i tried a kashi frozen meal, it was lemongrass coconut, AMAZING but not enough veggies. the false whole grain claims are so common, its not just kashi its bread, tortillas, cereal, u really have to read labels or make your own food. btw, triscuits have an awful lot of saturated fat. the only ingredients are wheat and soybean oil. why would you want to eat that? wheat is one of the worst grains you can eat, its better to stick with oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, and such

on February 9, 2010

Yeah - it's owned by Kellogg. Those people don't know anything about healthy food products. Of course there's GMO in there, and who knows what else? It's "proprietary!"

on February 9, 2010

@stan: I figured. "Stacy's" is owned by Kraft. "Tom's Toothpaste" is owned by Colgate. Arghhhhhh.

on February 12, 2010

I love the idea of Kashi, but I don't like the amounts of sugar in some of their products- Go Lean crunch is delish, but I think the high-ish sugar content has something to do with it! I keep wanting to try their nut-rolled bars, but again the amount of added sugar has stopped me. I think Kashi is a huge step up from other products, but they could do better.

on February 12, 2010

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