Are Pop-Tarts Healthy?

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Are Pop-Tarts healthy? Simply put, no, they are not a healthy option to start your day. Pop-tarts have a high amount of sugar and contain refined flour and unhealthy oils.

Pop-tarts are a pre-cooked and processed food. If you are running out of time, this is may best option you can have. All you need to do is eat the pop tarts at room temperature or quickly heat them in a toaster or microwave.

Two Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts contain 400 calories, 76 grams of carbs, less than 2 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.

They contain soybean oil and refined flour which are highly processed. Pop-tarts are loaded with sugar syrups. There are three types of sugar syrup in pop tarts: refined white sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup.

What Are Pop-Tarts?

Pop-Tarts are a brand of rectangular slim toaster pastries. They have sweet and delicious fillings, with frosting and sprinkles.

The main ingredients of Pop-Tarts are wheat, sugar, and palm oil.

What Are Pop-Tarts Made Of?

Pop-tarts are alright to eat for breakfast if you are in a hurry, as they technically have the essential calories to start the day, but they are not a healthy choice for regular consumption.

Here are the main ingredients of the pop tart:

Wheat flour:

Wheat flour is the main ingredient in pop tarts which contains niacin, iron, riboflavin, and folic acid. According to the nutrition labels, they have vitamins and minerals in very small quantities. They are considered suitable food but are not stomach-friendly.

Palm oil:

Palm oil is high in saturated fat which can lead to several cardiovascular diseases. However, it is only used to enhance the flavor or taste of pop tarts.

Sugar:

Pop-tarts have a huge amount of sugar which is not suitable for diabetic patients. In addition, Pop-Tarts also contain high fructose corn syrup, molasses, and dextrose that can make your meal very sweet.

Other ingredients in pop tarts are:

Wheat starch
Rice flour
Leavening agents
Gelatin
Soy lecithin
Cellulose gum

How Many Calories And Carbs in a Pop-Tart?

One serving of Pop-Tarts contains 170 calories with 19 grams of carbohydrates and 14 grams of sugar. It has a fat content of 2.5 grams and 115 milligrams of sodium along with 2 and 3 grams of protein and fiber respectively.

This is for one pastry as the pack contains 3 pastries. Having this low protein and high caloric meal as breakfast is probably a bad choice. They can be eaten as a treat occasionally, however you definitely should not add them to your weight loss diet.

Nutritional Facts of Pop-Tarts:

Kellogg’s frosted strawberry pop tarts preserving (52g) contain:

Calories	200
Total Fat	5g
Saturated	Fat 1.5g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	170mg
Total Carbohydrates	38g
Dietary Fiber	0.5g
Sugars	16g
Protein	2g

Downsides of Pop-Tarts:

Every product has some benefits and downsides so the same goes for pop tarts. Pop-tarts offer very little nutritional value plus they are small enough to overeat. They also have a high amount of fructose syrup in them. Only 2 pastries can meet your daily intake of sugar.

Summing Up:

Pop-tarts are not very nutritious, and actually full of calories and fats. Seeing as they are very small, how they can be so caloric? For this reason and the many other above they are not to be eaten regularly for breakfast.

However, you can have it occasionally and in a hurry mode. Pop-tarts contain 400 calories, 76 grams of carbs, less than 2 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.