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Food trends come and go, and separating the good from the bad isn’t always easy. Fortunately, we don’t mind doing the hard work for you and digging in to the nutrition facts on latest trendy fare.
Up next on the chopping block: duck eggs and oat ice cream.
Duck Eggs
Show and Tell: Obviously, these eggs are laid by ducks rather than chickens and are actually more popular in many places around the world, especially Asia. You can use duck eggs in the same way as you would chicken eggs — hard-boiled, scrambled, in an omelet or for baking.
They are typically 30 to 50 percent larger than a large-grade hen egg and taste very similar, but as with all eggs, the flavor varies based on how the birds are raised and what they eat. The breed of bird dictates the shell color — white, pale blue, blue-green or charcoal gray — and a duck-egg shell is harder than a chicken egg, meaning you’re less likely to scramble your lunch if you drop your grocery bag on the way home.
Nutrition Nuggets: A larger white egg means extra protein — 9 grams per egg — about 60 percent more high-quality protein than chicken eggs with which to build muscle. Duck eggs contain nearly an entire day’s worth of vitamin B12 for red blood cell formation and healthy nerve function. But because they are larger, remember to factor in their higher calorie content — 130 versus 74 for a chicken egg — when monitoring your overall energy intake.
Buy or Bye? Don’t be chicken: Try duck eggs if you’re an adventurous, egg-loving foodie and can afford the splurge. When possible, opt for pasture-raised eggs from a local farmer, or invest in a brand with free-roaming birds who, according to research, lay eggs with bigger nutritional benefits, including more vitamin D and omega-3 fats.
BONUS
Larger size means more protein and nutrients per single egg.
BUMMER
A dozen duck eggs costs two to three times more than chicken eggs.
Oat Ice Cream
Show and Tell: Oats form the base of the latest dairy-free dessert alternative and now sit on shelves alongside coconut and almond milk confections. Oats are soaked in water, blended and then strained, and the resultant oat milk is churned with ingredients such as sugar, coconut oil and emulsifiers like guar gum. Tempting flavors range from s’mores to mint fudge to salted caramel.
Nutrition Nuggets: The true scoop? Oat ice cream is more indulgent than healthy, and a 2/3-cup serving tallies between 220 to 260 calories, 6 to 10 grams of saturated fat and up to 20 grams of added sugar. (In comparison, the same amount of vanilla Haagen-Dazs contains 300 calories, 20 grams of sugar and 18 grams of saturated fat.) And when you consider that there are several servings in a single pint, overdoing it could mean an 800-calorie oopsie!
Buy or Bye? Overwhelmingly, oat milk ice creams win out over other nondairy frozen desserts when it comes to creamy texture. It’s a delicious treat for a hot summer night, but like the regular stuff, it’s an ultra-processed, calorie-dense food to be eaten in moderation. Our pick for the winningest oat ice cream? Planet Oat!
BONUS
It won’t bother your tummy if you’re lactose intolerant.
BUMMER
Because it contains no milk, you miss out on a bounty of bone-benefiting calcium.