With the holidays come special food and drink that you only see this time of year. One of my favorites is eggnog. Why do I love eggnog so much? Is it the creaminess? Perhaps the piles of sugar per glass? Or maybe – just maybe – I love the way it goes so nicely with rum. I don’t know – I just know I like it. Still, I’m glad it’s only available once a year. I don’t think I can stomach more than one glass every 12 months.
To get my fix, I took a trip to Hannaford to put four nogs to the test. I noted several important nutritional facts (calories, grams of fat, sugar and protein per serving), the first four ingredients, taste and any other added bonuses. I decided to skip all the new fancy flavors you see in the stores nowadays (not that gingerbread or sugar cookie eggnog don’t sound delicious) and went straight for good ol’ eggnog-flavored nog.
If you’re anything like me and look forward to that one glass of spicy, creamy goodness on Christmas day, then maybe this list will help you decide which nog is most worth your while.
Oakhurst Egg Nog
The stats: 180 calories, 9 grams of fat, 21 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein per ½ cup.
First four ingredients: Pasteurized milk, cream, high fructose corn syrup and egg yolks.
Taste: This nog had a very distinct taste and despite the whopping 21 grams of sugar, it seemed less sweet than the others (excluding the Silk Nog). Although it was the last ingredient listed, nutmeg had a definite presence. Because of the subtle spiciness, I imagine this nog would get along quite well with rum.
Added bonus: Five cents per bottle sold will be donated to the Salvation Army.
Hood Golden EggNog
The stats: 180 calories, 9 grams of fat, 21 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein per ½ cup.
First four ingredients: Milk, cream, sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Taste: Yum – definitely the creamiest and sweetest of the bunch. If you had a big glass of this on Christmas, you may want to skip the figgy pudding and fruit cake because this is a dessert in itself.
Added bonus: Recipe for eggnog cake on the carton.
Lactaid Eggnog
The stats: 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, 19 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein per ½ cup.
First four ingredients: Milk, sugar, cream and egg yolks.
Taste: It tasted like a less-creamy version of Hood’s Golden EggNog, which makes sense because Lactaid is owned by Hood. You’re probably wondering how something can be lactose free, yet contain cream and milk. Well, one of the other ingredients was a lactase enzyme, which, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, is “essential for digestive hydrolysis of lactose in milk. Deficiency of the enzyme causes lactose intolerance.” Basically, the addition of lactase makes it lactose-free. Can I just add that this would be a whole lot less confusing if “lactase” and “lactose” weren’t almost the same exact word? Just sayin’.
Added bonus: One hundred percent lactose free and a recipe for eggnog custard pie on the carton.
Silk Nog
The stats: 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, 12 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein per ½ cup.
First four ingredients: All natural soy milk, all natural evaporated cane juice, natural flavors and sea salt.
Taste: If soy milk doesn’t already tickle your taste buds, you’re probably not going to like Silk Nog – it tasted just like soy milk with a hint of eggnog. However, since it’s the least sugary and creamy, Silk Nog is a great way to get just a taste of eggnog and not feel too guilty about piling your plate with other holiday goodies. So, bring on the fruitcake and figgy pudding!
Added bonus: Beside having the nicest and most festive-looking packaging, a recipe for holiday French toast was included on the carton. Plus, Silk Nog is by far the healthiest option of the four and lactose-free.
