Fresh for the New Year comes an innovative integration of fiber in foods you love – even if you aren’t so certain it should be there. Duncan Hines has released a line of 100% Whole Grain Muffin Mixes. While it looks like the manufacturer has gone out of its way to ensure you get three grams of dietary fiber per baked muffin – this is by no means one of the best dietary sources of fiber out there.
Five of the six flavors feature Whole Wheat Flour as the first ingredient – an impressive feat given the usual refined wheat nature of processed and packaged mixes. But, in these same five products, sugar shows up as ingredient number two. (In the Triple Chocolate Chunk variety, sugar is ingredient number one and whole wheat flour is number two).
While most dietitians would recommend aiming for three grams of fiber or more per serving of whole grain food – this usually pertains to a 100 calorie serving size and almost never to a food whose second ingredient by weight is pure sugar. If it looks like a cookie and tastes like a cookie…. Unfortunately, each Duncan Hines 100% Whole Grain muffin is going to cost you 200 calories for those same three grams of fiber.
You’re better off working on a homemade muffin recipe that you can add whole wheat flour, flaxseed, nuts and fruit to for a more natural dietary fiber boost. If you like muffins but not the chewy texture of packaged mixes, try making these Morning Glory Muffins from Cooking Light. For 185 calories, the three grams of fiber come whole wheat flour, oats and fruit. Compare this to the fiber source of the Duncan Hines mix, which consists of only whole wheat flour and modified corn starch.
Duncan Hines 100% Whole Grain muffin mixes are available in the flavors:
- 100% Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon with Oatmeal Granola Topping Muffin Mix
- 100% Whole Grain Blueberry Streusel Muffin Mix
- 100% Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
- 100% Whole Grain Cinnamon Swirl Muffin Mix
- 100% Whole Grain Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffin Mix
- 100% Whole Grain Wild Maine Blueberry Muffin Mix