Voortman is a popular brand known for crafting various types of cookies and wafers.
The brand was founded in 1951 and became a favorite among many due to its wide range of delicious and top-notch cookies.
These cookies comes in variety of flavors such as Almond crunch, Chocolate chip, Oatmeal, Coconut and more.
And while Voortman cookies taste really good, are they healthy?
Short answer: Voortman cookies are not very healthy as they are made from processed flour, are high in sugar and low in protein and fiber. In addition, they are not gluten-free and vegan.
Read on to find out more about Voortman cookies, including their ingredients, sugar, protein, fiber content, and more.
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Voortman cookies come in various flavors. Therefore, the exact ingredients can vary depending on the flavor.
At their core, Voortman cookies are made from Enriched flour as the base ingredient.
Other ingredients that you may likely find across many flavors include:
- Sugar
- Vegetable oils (canola, soybean, palm, palm kernel)
- Water
- Egg
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Brown sugar
- Invert sugar
- Nonfat dry milk
- Soy lecithin
- Natural flavor
Voortman cookies also come in sugar-free options.
The sugar-free options are made from enriched flour and contain sugar alcohol such as maltitol and sweeteners like acesulfame k for sweetness.
The rest of the ingredients are almost identical to the regular ones.
The good thing about Voortman cookies is that they are free from major red flags such as artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Voortman cookies contain 5 to 12g of sugar per serving, depending on the flavor.
That’s about 13 to 33 % of the daily sugar limit for men and 20 to 50% for women.
Majority of the sugar in Voortman cookies is added sugar derived from multiple sources such as sugar, invert sugar, or brown sugar.
If you are cutting down on sugar, Voortman cookies also offer sugar-free options.
The sugar-free options use maltitol and acesulfame k for the sweetness.
Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that tastes similar to sugar but contains fewer calories and has a lower impact on blood sugar levels.
Acesulfame k is an artificial sweetener commonly used to sweeten food without adding calories. It tastes 200 times sweeter than table sugar.
Both of these sweeteners are considered safe in limited amounts.
Here’s the table showing the sugar content of all Voortman cookies flavors.
| Voortman cookies flavor | Sugar(g) |
|---|---|
| Almond crunch | 7 |
| Chocolate chip | 6 |
| Coconut | 5 |
| Shortbread | 4 |
| Oatmeal chocolate chip | 12 |
| Oatmeal raisin | 12 |
| Windmill | 5 |
| Oatmeal cranberry flaxseed | 11 |
Voortman cookies are low in protein, containing 1 to 3g per serving, depending on the flavor.
Most of the flavors have just 1g of protein.
Moreover, Voortman cookies are also not good with fiber, providing just 1-2g per serving.
But why are Voortman cookies low in protein and fiber? This is because Voortman cookies are made with enriched flour.
Enriched flour is processed flour made with only the endosperm part of the wheat kernel. The bran and germs are removed from the flour during the refining processes.
This process removes most essential nutrients from the flour, including protein and fiber.
Voortman cookies are low in sodium containing 30 to 105mg per serving, depending on the flavor.
That’s about 2 to 7% of the daily ideal sodium limit(1500mg) set by the American Heart Association.
Sodium is an essential part of the diet, but too much can result in heart-related issues.
Fortunately, with Voortman cookies, you don’t have to worry about excess sodium intake.
This is good for those limiting sodium in their diet.
Here is the table showing the sodium content of all Voortman cookies flavors.
| Voortman cookies flavor | Sodium(mg) |
|---|---|
| Almond crunch | 70 |
| Chocolate chip | 45 |
| Coconut | 30 |
| Shortbread | 50 |
| Oatmeal chocolate chip | 85 |
| Oatmeal raisin | 75 |
| Windmill | 85 |
| Oatmeal cranberry flaxseed | 105 |
| Sugar-free | 40-80 |
Voortman cookies are processed food as they are primarily made with processed flour (enriched flour).
They also contain other processed ingredients such as vegetable oils, invert sugar, and soy lecithin.
However, Voortman cookies are better than cookies or snacks that contain HFCS, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Voortman cookies, especially regular ones, are not good for weight loss as they contain added sugar.
However, these cookies also come in sugar-free options, which are good choices for weight loss.
It’s crucial to remember that even sugar-free cookies should be consumed in moderation, as they contain significant amounts of calories.
A single serving (one cookie) of sugar-free Voortman cookies contains anywhere between 80 to 140 calories.
In contrast, the Voortman regular cookies contain anywhere between 80 to 190 calories per serving.
Note that weight loss depends not only on one food but overall diet and lifestyle.
The sugar-free Voortman cookies are an excellent choice for diabetics.
These cookies contain maltitol and acesulfame k instead of sugar which does not impact blood sugar levels.
However, it’s important to be mindful of portion sizes and not go overboard with these cookies.
While these offer a guilt-free indulgence, consuming too much maltitol can lead to gastrointestinal issues such as bloating or diarrhea.
Voortman cookies are not gluten-free as they are made with wheat.
They may also not be suitable for those which high sensitivity to soy allergy as they contain soy lecithin.
Voortman cookies are not vegan as they contain nonfat dry milk and eggs.
However, these are suitable for vegetarians.
Final words
Voortman cookies are not very healthy, and there are various reasons for this, such as:
- They are made from processed flour.
- The regular flavors are high in added sugar.
- They are low in protein and fiber.
- They are not gluten-free.
- They are not vegan.
However, there are also some positives to Voortman cookies, such as:
- They are low in sodium
- They come in sugar-free options.
- They are free from artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
So can you include Voortman cookies in your diet?
Yes, you can include Voortman cookies in your diet, but do so in moderation.
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