This article is all about your favorite breakfast meal, the very famous in kids and adults, the pop tarts! While you may have eaten a lot of them for breakfast, how much do you know about pop tarts themselves? Are pop tarts healthy? Are pop tarts healthy for breakfast? Is there any healthier alternative to pop tarts? So, there are some sweet facts that you probably don’t know about pop tarts.
These days pop tarts come in over 25 different flavors while Kellogg’s has certainly outdone itself always coming up with new flavors. There were only four, when pop tarts first began, Apple currant, strawberry, blueberry, and brown sugar cinnamon.
All of these were unfrosted and contained a perforated diagonal line down the middle, so a single pop tart could be eaten in two. The flavors people love most these days are frosted strawberry, brown sugar cinnamon, and smores.
Are Pop Tarts Healthy for Breakfast?
How healthy are pop tarts? Are pop tarts healthy? Are pop tarts good for you? Are pop tarts vegan? Are whole grain pop tarts healthy? These are the questions that people ask about pop tarts mostly. As far as the question, Are pop tarts healthy, is concerned, the right question should be how unhealthy are pop tarts.
Yes, because pop tarts are very unhealthy. They are good to treat once a month but they are not healthy for breakfast. Pop-tarts contain so many unhealthy ingredients, artificial flavors, and preservatives that are used to enhance the shelf life of these sweet treats.
According to pop tarts nutrition label, they have vitamins and minerals in very little quantity. They are considered convenient food but are not stomach-friendly. They contain a lot of sugar that is not good for health and weight loss.
One of the ingredients, TBHQ, comes from petroleum. It is very toxic and related to butane, that is soybean oil, and not hydrated properly. Moreover, pop tarts are calorie-dense and have low nutritional content. Following facts about pop tarts make them unhealthy.
- They have very little nutritional value.
- They are easy to overeat so they cause weight gain easily.
- They have unattractive ingredients and preservatives to enhance the shelf life of the product.
- They contain high amounts of fructose corn syrup that causes fatty liver, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.
- They contain a more than recommended amount of sugar that may cause diabetes and weight gain.
- They contain a high amount of sodium that causes bloating.
- They do not contain any real fruit.
Pop-tarts nutritional info
Serving size: 7g
Calories: 29
Calories from fats: 11
The table demonstrates pop tarts nutritional information.
| Nutrients | % Daily values |
| Total fat 1.2g | 2% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 0mg | 0% |
| Total carbohydrates 4.2g | 1% |
| Dietary fiber 0.6g | 2% |
| Sugars0.9g | |
| Proteins 0.6g | |
| Vitamin C, Calcium | 0% |
| Iron | 1% |
Are pop tarts fattening?
Pop-tarts are fattening and they cause significant weight gain. The reason is that they contain a very high amount of sugar and sodium. In addition to it, they contain saturated fats or trans fat that are not good for health. They increase LDL or bad cholesterol levels which contributes to weight gain. The nutritional value of pop tarts is also not very attractive.
Pop-tarts are tempting so you tend to overeat. Since they are calorie-dense, overeating can make you gulp a lot of calories, that’s why you end up gaining weight. They are not healthy for breakfast. Moreover, they contain nonvegan ingredients that are milk and whey protein. So they are not vegan and are fattening too.
A healthy alternative to pop tarts
Here is the list of some healthy alternatives to pop tarts.
- Almond breakfast squares with yogurt and berries.
- Avocado and banana overnight oats.
- Banana, Almond milk, and matcha energizing smoothie
- Breakfast Parfaits
- Spicy chilaquiles in a cup
- Microwave Frittata
Pop-tarts calories
Strawberry pop tarts calories: Two frosted strawberry pop tarts have 400 calories.
Cookies and cream pop tarts calories: Kellogg’s frosted cookies and cream pop tarts contain 379 calories.
Cookie dough pop tarts calories: Cookie dough pop tarts contain 380 calories.
Chocolate fudge pop tarts calories: Kellogg’s chocolate fudge pop tarts contain 384 calories.
Pop-tarts Brown sugar calories: A single brown sugar pop tart has 210 calories.
Frosted pop tarts nutrition label
According to the nutritional information of frosted pop tarts, they contain 5gram fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 170 mg of sodium, 38 grams of total carbs, 0.5 grams of dietary fiber, 16-gram of sugar, protein, and 4% iron.
Unfrosted pop tarts nutrition facts
Two pastries of 96-gram unfrosted pop tarts contain 380 calories. They have 10 grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 360mg sodium, 40mg potassium, 69 grams total carbs, 25 gram sugar, 1 gram fiber, and 4gram protein.
Fruitloop pop tarts nutrition facts
They contain 9 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 320 mg sodium, 40 gram carbs, 1 gram dietary fiber, 30 gram sugar, and 4 gram proteins. This is all about fruit loop pop tarts nutritional information.
Hot fudge pop tarts nutrition facts
A 48-gram pastry of hot fudge sundae pop tarts contains 190 calories and 45 calories are from fats. The following table demonstrates the nutritional information of hot fudge pop tarts nutrition.
| Nutrients | % Daily values |
| Total fat 5g | 8% |
| Saturated fats 1.5 g | 8% |
| Trans fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 190 mg | 8% |
| Total carbs 34 g | 11% |
| Dietary fiber 2g | 8% |
| Sugars 12g | |
| Proteins 2g | |
| Vitamin A | 10% |
| Calcium | 10% |
| Iron | 10% |
Strawberry milkshake pop tarts nutrition facts
Strawberry milkshake pop tarts contain 5-gram total fats, 2g saturated fats, 0-gram trans fats, 190 mg sodium, 34 grams total carbs, and 11-gram sugar.
Whole grain pop tarts nutrition facts
Whole grain pop tarts have 4.5-gram total fats, 2 grams Saturated fats, 0mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium, 75 grams total carbs, 30-gram sugar, and 4gram protein.
Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts nutrition facts
Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts have 210 calories and it contains too many saturated fats, 35-gram carbs, 2-gram protein, 170 mg sodium, and 15-gram sugar. All these ingredients make these pop tarts very unhealthy for breakfast and to eat daily.
Are whole grain pop tarts healthy?
Whole grain pop tarts are healthy if we make them at home. Whole grains contain a lot of proteins and therefore they are more healthy. If we make pop tarts at home, we can add less sugar and since we do not add any preservatives and artificial ingredients, that is why they can be a healthier version of pop tarts.
The Bottom Line:
The people who crave pop tarts are mostly unaware of their harms and the havoc it makes with our entire metabolism as well as their role in weight gain. Are pop tarts healthy is a common question among those who eat pop tarts but are conscious about their health.
All those ingredients that are harmful to our health contain a lot of preservatives. Packaged food contains those preservatives so that they can stay longer at grocery stores. But these ingredients increase the number of calories per gram and hence they become unhealthy. So, eat pop tarts as a treat, and not to fill your stomach as they are not stomach-friendly.
FAQs
How bad are pop tarts for you?
Pop-tarts contain 400 calories, 76-gram carbs, less than 2 grams of fiber, and a mere 4 grams of protein. They are a high sugar low protein junk food that contains unhealthy oil and refined flour that is not good for health.
Are pop tarts good for weight loss?
No, pop tarts contain high sugar content and saturated oil that increases cholesterol and causes weight gain. For weight loss, make healthy pop tarts at home using whole grains, veggies, and low sugar content.
Which pop tart is healthiest?
Homemade pop tarts are healthiest as you can control the amount of added sugar. It contains no preservatives and artificial flavors and no Saturated fats.
Can pop tarts kill you?
Yes, too many pop tarts can kill you because they cause bloating in the stomach and the harmful ingredients in them are sometimes carcinogenic. Obesity itself can lead to an early death.
