Lucky Charms may be “magically delicious,” but according to a study, they are “healthier” than ground beef or a pork chop.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and dean for policy at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, authored a study published in the journal Nature Food in October 2021 based on thousands of foods and beverages to create a “Food Compass.”
The Food Compass rated the foods on a scale of 1-100 based on nine nutritional values found on dietary labels and whether they included additives, processing or phytochemicals. A score of 1-30 indicated the foods should have limited consumption, a score of 31-69 suggested consumption in moderation and a score of 70 and above highly encouraged consumption and did not provide a restriction.
General Mills’ Lucky Charms cereal scored a 56 on the Food Compass scale, while ground beef scored a 26 on the scale.
The compass also scored some other sugary snacks, junk food and game meats higher than beef, pork and chicken.
Some of the 8,000 foods rated from the best score of 100 to the worst score of 1 include:
• Tomato juice, 100 percent, low sodium: 100.
• General Mills’ Cheerios: 91.
• Apple juice, 100 percent: 65.
• Turkey, ground: 60.
• Oatmeal, instant, maple flavored: 59.
• Opossum, cooked: 57.
• Chicken, grilled without sauce, skin not eaten: 57.
• Potato chips, ruffled, sour cream and onion flavored: 53.
• Fritos corn chips, plain: 49.
• Venison/deer steak, breaded or floured: 49.
• Raccoon, cooked: 46.
• Pork chop, broiled or baked: 36.
• Beef steak: 33.
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: 28.
• Lamb, loin chop: 26.
• Kellogg’s Corn Flakes: 17.
• Goldfish crackers, cheese: 9.
• Beef jerky: 9.
• Gatorade G sports drink: 1.
The Food Compass study was funded by the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and Vail Innovative Global Research.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) called the Food Compass flawed and touted beef as a nutrient-dense, complete protein source.
“No one sits down to a plate of candy and chips expecting a healthy meal, but a lean cut of beef accompanied by vegetables or fruits and whole grains is a healthy choice every time,” NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said in a statement. “To suggest otherwise is irresponsible, and it confuses consumers at a time when we should be working to meet their nutritional needs, rather than confounding them with agenda-driven faux science.”
Mozaffarian also wrote the recent article “The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health is an opportunity for transformational change” in advance of the September conference. He co-chairs the Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition and Health to inform the goals of the White House conference.
“The 2022 conference provides an opportunity for a new national roadmap with clear, actionable recommendations to radically transform hunger, nutrition and health and that will be implemented by the administration, Congress, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders,” Mozaffarian wrote. “We hope that the 2022 conference will build the foundation for a twenty-first century food system that is nourishing, equitable and sustainable.”
The first White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health was held in 1969, and the upcoming conference will be only the second of its kind. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
