Are Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers Healthy?
May 1, 2021 17 Comments
Whole wheat Ritz crackers have the potential to be healthy…if they actually existed.
Above is a photo of Honey Wheat Ritz because I couldn’t find Whole Wheat Ritz but it doesn’t matter because both versions have the same problem.
They are not 100 % whole wheat.
They are made with whole wheat flour as you can see here:
Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers Ingredients:
UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID) , WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR , VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA AND/OR PALM AND/OR PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL) , SUGAR , LEAVENING (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND/OR BAKING SODA) , SALT , HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP , SOY LECITHIN .
But they are also made with regular flour, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. Alas, the addition of one healthy ingredient - whole grain wheat flour - doesn’t make them healthy.
Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers Nutrition for 5 crackers:
70 calories, 2.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 10 g carbohydrates, 2.0 g sugar, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber, 120 mg sodium, 2 Green, 2 Blue, 2 Purple WW SmartPts
What we love about Ritz crackers isn’t about healthy eating. It is the wax paper sleeve and the melty mouth feel of the crumbs hitting your tongue. Just buy the original Ritz if you love them and understand you are having something closer to a cookie than a cracker.
Want to eat something closer to cracker? Walk a little further down the cracker aisle for another offering by Nabisco.
Again, I found Triscuit minis instead of regular sized Triscuits because they weren’t in the store either. Oh man. But these are a much better choice than Ritz and I would even go as far as to call them healthy.
Why?
- They are 100% whole grain.
- No added sugar.
- Crunchy so you know you are eating.
Those melty Ritz crackers are too easy to inhale.
Here is the nutrition in one serving of Triscuits (6 crackers):
120 calories, 3.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 20 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 3 g protein, 4 g fiber, 160 mg sodium, 3 Green, 3 Blue, 3 Purple WW SmartPts
Triscuit Ingredients:
WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, CANOLA OIL, SEA SALT
Triscuit is easily the healthier choice over Whole Wheat Ritz.
You could also make your own whole wheat cracker with my handy dandy whole wheat cracker recipe and save yourself some money.
What do you think? Are Ritz whole wheat crackers healthy? What are your favorite crackers?
Other posts you might like:
The Best Brand Of Crackers (Your Own)
Since this site is called "Snack Girl", I get a bunch of questions about crackers. Frankly, I am pretty lost in the cracker aisle myself...
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