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Is there a nutritional value to Nutella?

My daughter, who will be a college athlete in the fall and does weightlifting 5 days a week, has weekly appointments with a nutritionist. My daughter says the nutritionist advised her to eat Nutella regularly. I was very surprised by this knowing the first two ingredients of Nutella. Is there a valid nutritional reason for anyone to be eating Nutella almost daily?

I know I’m asking this question without giving any other details of my daughter’s diet, but I was under the impression Nutella is not something that should be part of anyone’s regular diet.

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Refined sugar = readily available energy. She might be thinking that nutella is just like someone eating gummy bears before or during a workout - the more processed and refined the sugar is, the less your body has to work to break it down to get the energy. But, as someone who did the gummy bear thing for a while for running – I’d never pick something heavy or dense like nutella for that purpose.

And, for everyone saying “it might be for the calories” — that’s a fair point, but when you’re working with someone who is going to be a college level athlete, you still need to be smart about those calories for optimal performance and recovery. So it still doesn’t make sense.

Here’s another question - does your daughter actually enjoy nutella? Because if it’s a fun food for her, then I think it’s fine for the nutritionist to try and incorporate it into her diet - especially if it’s making another bland part of her diet more enjoyable. A serving of nutella every day isn’t going to be a problem.

My concern is that she’s shoveling spoonfuls of nutella in to meet some goal that it’s really sub-optimal for.

Edited to add - I see below you mentioned she’s allergic to peanuts. Did she maybe tell your daughter to avoid all nut butters due to cross contamination potential? Nutella clearly states that it doesn’t come into contact with peanuts during manufacturing process – I can’t say the same for other nut butters/producers out there.

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Hi. Dietitian here and I work with athletes. While Nutella is not my first line of recommendation for anyone, it certainly is something I may end up using depending on her overall diet.

If she is allergic to peanuts and does not like anything else but Nutella, I might recommend it on something whole grain. Why? Because athletes burn a crap ton of calories and there is a risk for developing the “athlete’s triad” or RED-S (relative energy deficiency in sports) and the consequences are big.

Again, I would pick high quality proteins and other foods first but it is not unusual to have Nutella if her energy is balanced and she has a well rounded diet around it.

The sugar intake is not going to hurt an athlete like her, but the lack of calories will wreck her hormones and her bones.

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I’m a dietitian and I would NEVER recommend Nutella for weight gain or energy. For weight gain there are so many other options like almond/sesame/cashew butter (I saw you said your daughter was allergic to peanuts), other seed butter, or even protein powders. Nutella is a delicious dessert spread which can be enjoyed occasionally, but the high sugar and palm oil content with be a detriment on lean muscle gains. Of course, be careful with the alternative “butters”, try to select ones without added sugars. Good luck with her journey!

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Weightlifting requires lots of calories, especially if they want her to gain weight so she can lift more. I can definitely see why a nutritionalist might recommend it being that it’s super high calorie in small servings. I can’t answer why they chose Nutella over any other high calorie snack but the idea behind it makes sense. I would think peanut butter would be a better choice.

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Of course there is. Fats, protein, and carbs.

That’s value. There’s no mandate that you need to get X% of given micronutrient value from every thing you eat. You can have some enjoyment in there as well.

Labeling foods as “bad,” or “off limits” is often dangerous in the long term, because it begins to warp people’s perception of nutrition. I eat ice cream every night, because that allows me to stick to a diet of primarily whole, single ingredient foods the rest of the time. Is there particularly high nutritional value in that ice cream? Of course not. But it’s a piece in a much larger puzzle.

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Not all nutritionists are made equal, some of them seem to give pretty terrible advice.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nutella#health-effects

>Sugar is the main component of Nutella, giving the spread its sweet taste.> > A 2-tablespoon (37-gram) serving contains 21 grams of sugar, or about 5 teaspoons.> > Shockingly, a serving of Nutella contains more sugar than the same serving size of Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Rich & Creamy Frosting, which contains 17 grams of sugar.> > Limiting foods high in added sugar is critical for your health.> > In fact, the American Heart Association recommends that women and children consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day, while men should limit their intake to 9 teaspoons (38 grams).> > Using this rule, a woman or child would be close to their added sugar limit for the entire day after consuming just 2 tablespoons (37 grams) of Nutella.> > Consuming too much added sugar has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases and conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, cognitive decline and even some types of cancers, including esophageal cancer.> > Plus, added sugar may be one of the driving factors behind the surge in childhood obesity.> > For these reasons, foods with high amounts of added sugar, such as Nutella, should be kept to a minimum.

If the goal is to boost calorie and fat intake, the healthier route would be nuts, seeds, avocado, whole eggs, etc.

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If she simply wants pure calories, I guess. But there are better alternatives really. Why not almond butter? Or perhaps whole wheat bread? Or just some good old fashion fruit like apple/orange/watermelon/cherries? Or even a mix of nuts/seeds?

Assuming she has met all her macro’s (fat is at least 20%, protein is good for muscle building which is usually 1.2g/lb of Lean Body Mass), and carbs is good for energy, you can kinda pick anything. I’d still pick fruits/vegetables though….just in case some nutrient isn’t being met and/or just to instill healthy eating habits.

But if she isn’t meeting her caloric needs with her current diet and wants a yummy snack, nutella works…might as well get ice cream at this point though.

Edit: I realized that maybe the dietician chose nutella because your daughter was desperate for a snack or something in her diet that she can actually enjoy. Assuming there isn’t any other ADDED sugars in her diet and all nutrients/vitamin needs are being met as well as some good mono/poly unsaturated fats, then I guess Nutella works. Also, is there a money issue? I know fruits/vegetables cost more than junk food so I wasn’t sure if there was a financial reasoning behind her diet choices….

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Nutella has a lot of added sugar, which usually makes it a no go for nutritionists.

I suppose if your daughter is looking for something calorically dense to promote weight gain fast and she is also a very picky eater, the nutritionist might’ve recommended Nutella in order to meet her where she’s at and get her the calories she needs.

For example, I would think peanut butter would usually be recommended her, but if she doesn’t like that then Nutella may be the next best option. I think you can find a sugar free nutella that still has plenty of calories and fat if that’s what she needs it for.

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Hijacking this thread (sorry op), but I’m borderline anorexic and believe it or not Nutella is one of my safe foods.

Anyone have any advice to whether eating this daily is causing me even more harm, or helpful in gaining weight due to a high fat and sugar content? I suppose it’s better than nothing?

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For an athlete getting enough calories is important. Discretionary calories include extra things you eat after meeting your needs for protein, etc. Nutella is essentially empty calories. That doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be cut out ESPECIALLY if a calorie excess is the goal(ie trying to gain muscle mass/strength).

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I have found some nice hazelnut-chocolate spreads at Whole Foods (such as Artisana Organics) which have way less sugar and no palm oil. Still absolutely delicious. That’s at least a better option, although way more expensive.

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You say she does weightlifting 5 days a week? Is that her sport or is it something else??

If I had to guess what’s happening is that her nutritionist wants her eating more calories and Nutella was an option mentioned. It’s calorically dense and it’s easy to eat plain or with stuff.

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yes there is. mentally and taste.

i believe nutrition is not just about food values but a whole deal more.

life is hard. Harder for our kids than it was for us. I feel we have done our bit and they understand nutrition and one day they will make that decision themselves. For now Nutella is brilliant.

I do not expect any young adult and younger to eat like I do. That I feel is asking too much. I don’t expect them to eat a lot of junk, but I feel it’s OK to eat a little bit. I see Too many kids with eating disorders whether they know it or not.

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No but yes, Nutella can be healthy in some ways for heavily active people as it’s high calorie for the low density, it’s also high sugar which can help to replenish glycogen stores for active people. Not healthy but good.

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Can I just site note and ask how anyone likes the stuff in the first place? It gives me a stomach ache to even imagine someone else eating it. It tastes like crisco mixed with white sugar and a splash of cocoa. :P

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Were you sitting with her when the nutritionist told her this?

I find it a little hard to believe that any professional nutritionist would say such a thing without emphasizing some serious caveats.

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No there isnt…
If you wanna gain mass or anything like that peanutbutter etc. is way more healthy.
Nutella contains insane amounts of sugar which has NO benefit to anything.
Im not a preacher for keto so carbs overall are valuable in my opinion, but sugar really isnt… very close to alcohol as nutritional value.

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Growing up in an Italian neighbourhood to Italian immigrant parents, we didn’t know what peanut butter and jelly was, we had Nutella! It was spread on a nice thick slice Calabrese bread too, ah the good old days. As a health conscious person now, I may have it 4-5 times a year because It’s full of palm oil and sugar, of course it’s not good for you but to me it’s still comfort food. Here’s the problem with North America when it comes to to Italian food or any food really, we take everything to excess, we like something so we have it everyday day and big portions too. Enjoy all foods just in moderation….Just my opinion 🇮🇹

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Omg noooo. Nutella is like 60% sugar! Find a new nutritionist. She can try nut butter or something healthier. If you lookup “nutella sugar picture” you can see a picture of how much sugar and oil its contents is.

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Simple sugars are extremely valuable for recovery. It’s essentially the same thing as drinking Gatorade, quickly digesting glucose will enhance recovery. The nutritionist chose Nutella because it’s extremely easy to eat consistently.

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https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/26/151454929/nutella-maker-may-settle-deceptive-ad-lawsuit-for-3-million

https://www.planetforward.org/idea/facing-the-facts-about-nutella-palm-oil-the-environment

Avoid eating things with palm oil and sugar.

Your daughter’s nutritionist is giving bad advice.

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Consuming nutella makes everyone happy which is the way to live a life, being happy controls your body’s BP and thyroid hormone etc. So yes Nutella is nutritious in some ways + it has nuts in it too and dryfruits a very nutritious. There’s nothing like too much of it.

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I guess it depends on her metabolism.. if she’s burning alot then she can definitely handle it but it is alot of sugar… maybe in the future it might affect her but I also work at an Italian restaurant and they swear by anything with hazelnut and pistachio. So I’m sure it’s not horrible but like overall, western medicine is also questionable af lol

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Sure, some protein from the hazelnuts, and then… voila you have a crap-ton of sugar to accompany it, that’s the problem. There are way more cons than pros to nutella. I have no idea how nutella could be recommended by a nutritionist when sugar and palm oil are the first 2 ingredients. IMO, your daughter should look into raw or roasted hazelnuts with a very dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa content) if she likes chocolate and hazelnut flavors and wants to eat healthier. I personally prefer raw hazelnuts, they’re naturally sweet, delicious, and are high in omega acids, fiber, and protein. As for chocolate, I love lindt’s 85% and 90% chocolate bars.

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I’m a medical scientist that specialises in nutrition .. the only reason I could think of for him to recommend Nutella is for increasing calories with a small amount of food as Nutella is super calorific … the same thing can be done with peanut butter .. he probably asked her what foods she liked to eat and Nutella might have been one of her answers, so he suggested it to increase her calories to build muscle, as you can only usually build muscle in a calorie surplus (not always 100% true, but generally true)

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Only reason I can think of,as someone who strength trains under a coach, is it’s an easy digestible carb pre work out. It provides your body with a quick source of energy for a work out or whatever your doing. I do liquid iv or Ucan. Also Maybe it has something to do with glycogen considering she is a college athlete and is training hard.

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Is the nutritionist through her college? What are the qualifications of this nutritionist? Is she a registered dietitian or even better, an RD with a sports certification? Anyone can pretty much call themselves a nutritionist - there is no regulation behind it. An RD is licensed and has to meet the standards for licensure and retaining that license.

If your daughter has accepted admittance does her college have a sports RD? If so, see if she can start working with that person remotely or at least get some basic info and ask for a referral to someone local.

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Thisss is very lazy additional kcals for high exertion of caloric needs for an athlete. Not all kcals are created equal and it seems obvious with this suggestion that the nutritionist has never worked directly with food preparation and is just just punching numbers/products into ESHA

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Dutch children are apparently the ‘happiest children in the world’ (https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/11/26/heres-what-lessons-can-be-learned-from-parenting-in-the-netherlands.html)

Their parents serve them Hagelslag, which is chocolate sprinkles on toast (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hagelslag-dutch-sprinkles-toast_n_5bfd4023e4b03b230fa6d82d/amp)

I think the benefits of chocolate and bread speak for themselves here

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