Is Veggie Pirate's Booty a Healthy Snack or Junk Food?

July 19, 2010 7 Comments

When you see "Veggie" in the title, you want it to be a healthy snack! Hey, I'm eating my veggies, mom!

Alas, just because it says "veggie" doesn't mean it comes with the same healthy benefits of kale chips. Veggie Pirate's Booty DOES come with "Kale Powder" which is listed on its ingredients list.

A reader requested that I review Pirate's Booty. From Erin:

I was wondering if you could review Pirate's Booty? I imagine it is not very healthy, as it is very delicious. I enjoy reading your blog. I have a 5, 3, and 1 year-old, and I hate packing lunches. We all love fruit, and it is our saving grace. The only other things I can say we all love is pizza and ice cream.

I am always looking for healthy, good-tasting things for us to eat. There are lots of obstacles. To mention two, my kids hate vegetables (except corn), and I also hate cooking. I do love to exercise, though, if that counts for anything.

Pirate's Booty is definitely not made with a vegetable, it is made with a grains - corn and rice.

I believe Pirate's Booty was developed because little kids don't eat popcorn because of the choking risk. I am a BIG advocate for popcorn because it is whole grain, crunchy, and low in calorie (Homemade Microwave Popcorn). Parents are told not to give kids popcorn until they are 4 years old.

Pirate's Booty just melts in your mouth like the Gerber's Puffs. And it has a great name and silly phrases such as "shiver me timbers!" on the package.

But is it healthy? A good comparison for Pirate's Booty is to Cheetos because they are made with corn meal too!

I think Pirate's Booty is better than Cheetos because it doesn't have all those artificial colors and MSG. Cheetos has 250 mg of sodium per serving and Pirate's Booty has 120 mg.

Compare Pirate's Booty to actual vegetables and you have no contest. Fresh veggies are going to win every time! They have so many more vitamins, minerals, grams of protein and fiber, etc.

All you have to do is read Pirate's Booty's label - Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 0%, Iron 2% - and realize that this is no better than most junk food. Yes, I am calling it junk food.

My suggestion is to make Pirate's Booty a sometimes treat and at $3 per 4 ounces or skip it and make your own popcorn (which is far cheaper). For a sweet spin on popcorn try my chocolate drizzled popcorn or white chocolate popcorn.

If you are looking for savory – try my chili lime popcorn recipe.

What do you think of Pirate's Booty?