Pop-Tarts are a household name, even if they aren't a household snack. I remember growing up Pop-Tarts were a very occasional treat and were not considered breakfast at all.
I would always try and convince my mom that they were healthy, because the commercial said "part of a balanced breakfast." That theory was always shot down.
I would then move on to convincing her the unfrosted Pop-Tarts were actually healthy because they didn't have frosting. Shockingly enough, that didn't work either.
But here's the thing: it turns out the exact opposite of my childhood logic was true. Unfrosted Pop-Tarts actually have more calories than the frosted ones. They also have more fat and more calories.
But how is that possible??
This calorie discrepancy began to sweep the Internet, with Twitter and Reddit users trying to figure out what on earth was going on.
Okay, why does a frosted strawberry #poptart have 200 calories, and an Unfrosted one has 210 calories? Negative calorie Frosting?
— Ian A. Ralph (@Taselon) December 1, 2010
This just seems ludicrous, but an unfrosted Pop Tarts actually more calories than a frosted Pop Tart.
— Saul Young (@saulyoung) September 16, 2009
Finally, someone reached out to Kellogg's, asking what the deal with unfrosted Pop-Tarts is.
"Unfrosted Pop-Tarts have a slightly thicker crust to compensate for the lack of frosting, resulting in a few more calories per serving," a Kellogg's representative told Quartz. This is apparently compensated by "the overall composition of the food, including weight, breakability, toastabilty."
In the end, you're only gaining 10 calories by eating the unfrosted ones, but if you're going to eat a Pop-Tart...may as well make it worth your while and get the frosted ones!
What's your favorite flavor of Pop-Tarts?
