Which is the Healthier Cracker?

Choosing a nutritious healthy cracker can be difficult these days.  Grocery stores carry many different brands and types of crackers and all of them claim to be healthy.  However, they carry preservatives and other chemicals that do not contribute to good nutrition.  I chose these three types of crackers because they appealed to my eye as nutritious.  And although I read the label for calories and ingredients I didn't have knowledge about the ingredient "TBHQ for freshness" and simply passed over it and made the purchase.

Nutrition wise, all three are around 70 calories, 2.5g fat, 11 total carbohydrates, and 1g protein.  The sodium level of the Multi-grain Crisps is a bit less at 110mg compared to 140mg for the other two and TBHQ free.   

Let's talk about the ingredient Tertiary Butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ as it is more commonly referred to as.  TBHQ is a synthetic antioxidant that is used to extend the shelf life of oily and fatty foods such as crackers and fast foods (e.g. fish fillet, hash browns and chicken nuggets.) It is also found in certain brands of pet foods, as well as in cosmetic and baby skincare products, varnish, lacquers and resins. Some of the concerns about TBHQ is its relationship to butane, a component of lighter fluid, and its link to other health problems such as cancerous precursors in the stomach, as well as causing DNA damage. 

When reading the label of foods, avoid ingredients such as: Propyl gallate, Octyl gallate, Dodecyl gallate,  tert-Butylhydroquinone-tBHQ,  Butylated hydroxyanisole-BHA, and  Butylated hydroxytoluene, BHT which are considered as harmful antioxidants. 

Safer alternatives are perhaps those including Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Sodium ascorbate, Calcium ascorbate, Potassium ascorbate, Ascorbyl palmitate, and Mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) like  dl-a-Tocopherol, g-Tocopherol, d-Tocopherol.

So which is perhaps the safer cracker, I believe its the Multi-grain Crisps.  It includes more beneficial ingredients like quinoa, flax seeds, and brown rice and is gluten, wheat and milk free.  The Omega-3 in the flax seeds also gives it that added punch of nutrition!