Review - Nutrisystem Honey Wheat Bagels vs. Lender's Healthy Grain Bagels

I have long been a fan of those lovely little multi grain bagels that they sell at Chick-Fil-A with visible grains and seeds mixed right in the dough. Lender's Healthy Grain Multi Grain Bagel reminded me very much of those bagels with a very similar texture and taste.

They are available at Walmart in the refrigerator case. The line is called Lenders Healthy Grain Bagels.  Read about them here.  This is a medium sized bagel weighing in at about 210 calories. While that doesn't sound like much of a find, here is the awesome part. This bagel boasts 11g of protein, and 8g of fiber. The ingredients list is reasonable, mostly vitamins, with no soy. Soy is not recommended for those with an under active thyroid, so that is very much a plus.

I toasted mine which produced a nice chewy bagel and satisfied my craving for one of America's favorite breakfast foods. I added about 5 additional grams of protein by topping my bagel with 2 slices of Hormel Natural Choice Honey Ham (no preservatives or nitrates) and a nice dollop of Philadelphia Whipped Cream Cheese. I prefer the whipped cream cheese over light or fat free cream cheese because it has a lighter texture, is more spreadable, and has about the same calories as light cream cheese. While I'm not strictly a brand name shopper, this is one time when Philly is definitely worth the extra pennys.

There are a couple of downsides to this product, but they are definitely not a deal breaker. The bagel while having a nice texture, did have a certain stretch to the mouth feel, but again not a deal breaker for me. This bagel was also a little higher in calories than Nutrisystem, which has a similar product, the Honey Wheat Bagel. Let's compare the two.

From the Lender's Site

Ingredients

Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Enzyme, Ascorbic Acid (Dough Conditioner), Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Coarse 7-Grain (Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, White Wheat, Corn, Ground Flax, Millet), Wheat Protein Isolate (Wheat Gluten, Lactic Acid, Sulfite), Sugar, Corn Dextrin, Yeast, Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Soybean Oil, Preservatives (Sorbic Acid), Mono And Diglycerides, Preservatives (Calcium Propionate), Guar Gum, Dough Conditioners (Calcium Sulfate, L-Cysteine), Enzyme (Wheat Gluten), Yellow Corn Meal.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 81 G Servings Per Container 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories 210 Calories from Fat 20
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2 G
Saturated Fat 0 G
Trans Fat 0 G
Cholesterol 0 Mg
Sodium 320 Mg
Total Carbohydrate 40 G
Dietary Fiber 6 G
Sugars 4 G
Protein 11 G
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Calcium From the Nutrisystem Site Serving Suggestion Honey Wheat Bagel Bagels are no longer off limits! Soft and fresh with a taste of honey, our Honey Wheat Bagel is the perfect thing to bring along to the office in the morning. Top it with some fat-free cream cheese for a delicious breakfast that's sure to start your morning off right. Preparation Method: READY TO EAT. Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 Package Servings Per Container 1.0 Amount Per Serving Calories 170 Calories From Fat 20 % Daily Value* Total Fat 2.0 g. 3% Saturated Fat 0.5 g. 3% Cholesterol 0 mg. 0% Sodium 250 mg. 10% Total Carbohydrate 33 g. 11% Dietary Fiber 4 g. 16% Sugars 2 g Protein 5 g Percent Daily Vitamin A 0% Percent Daily Vitamin C 0% Percent Daily Calcium 2% Percent Daily Iron 6% * Based on 2000 calorie maximum recommended amounts. Ingredients: WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, GLYCEROL, HONEY, YEAST, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: WHEAT GLUTEN, TREHALOSE, DEXTROSE, CANOLA OIL, SORBIC ACID, SUCROLOSE, SUCROSE FATTY ACID ESTERS, MONOGLYCERIDES, XANTHAN GUM, FRUCTOSE, CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL COLOR, ENZYMES, WHEAT STARCH, NATURAL Nutrisystem's Honey Wheat Bagel vs. Lender's Healthy Grain Multi Grain Bagel                                   Nutrisystem                                                         Lender's Calories                           170                                                                  210 Fat                                      2g                                                                     2g Sodium                           250mg                                                             320mg Total Carbs                       33g                                                                   40g Fiber                                   4g                                                                     8g Protein                                5g                                                                   11g Cost per bagel             $3.14 plus shipping                                             $ .53 no shipping Conclusion The Lender's Bagel although higher in calories offered a more complete nutritional option as an almost stand alone meal which includes plenty of fiber and a whopping 11g of protein.  Nutrisystem's bagel needs the addition of grocery store foods to ramp up the protein and complete the meal. This would also raise the calories making it more comparable to Lender's. The cost is a no brainer with the Nutrisystem's bagel selling at 6 times the amount of the Lender's bagel, and that doesn't include shipping. For those following Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig, as well as those cloning either one of these diets, this one is most definitely a keeper. Serving Suggestion Toast one bagel to your liking.  Spread 1T of Whipped Philly Cream Cheese and top with 2 slices of Hormel Natural Choice Ham.  ENJOY!!! Nutrition for Serving Suggestion as calculated by The Daily Plate 275 calories, 5g fat, 565 mg sodium, 44g carb, 8g fiber, 16g protein