I was making a recipe called Velvetta Tomato Mac and Cheese and thought I would compare the values of Kraft Velvetta Vs Kraft Cheez Whiz vs Kraft Mac and Cheese (KD). I have done my recipe with both Kraft Velvetta and with Kraft Cheez Whiz. Of course, like every else, I’ve also had Kraft Mac and Cheese.

The purpose of this exercise was to compare value to the nutrients. I wanted to compare price to the fats, protein, vitamins and of course convenience.

Convenience Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese wins hands down. It is the easiest, quickest and needs a total of three items, the Kraft Dinner, milk and margarine. My recipe needs tomato soup, pasta, Velvetta or Cheez Whiz, milk, margarine, onions. Then I wanted to compare pricing. Of course this varies where you are and if you are using generic or brand names. For the purpose of this exercise I used brand names and all from one store, Walmart.

I calculated to make the same quantity which would serve six. However, I didn’t count the salad or veggie you should be having with this to make a balanced meal. Nor did I add any extra protein. Conclusion of the pricing was pretty simple. Cheapest was with Cheez Whiz, at 1.05 a plate, Velvetta at 1.10 and Kraft Dinner which I found expensive at 1.27 a plate. Kraft Dinner has more calories, more fat, more sugar, and less calcium and Vitamin A per serving.  Mind you, it is much quicker and works well in a pinch. I have used it as side dish many times and will continue to do so.

Now for the comparison of the Cheez Whiz light and Velvetta light which one or the other was required for my recipe, here is what I came up with:

Cheez Whiz Light	Velvetta Light (2% fat)
30 g or 1 ounce	30 g or 1 ounce
60 calories	62 calories
3 g of fat	3 g of fat
2 g of carbohydrates	3.3 g of carbohydrates
2 g of sugar	2.4 g of sugar
3 g of protein	5.5 g of protein
0 g of fiber	0 g of fiber
8% of daily calcium	10% of daily calcium
2% of daily Vitamin A	5.5% of daily Vitamin A
4.88 for 15 ounce jar	5.48 for 16 ounce package
	7.98 for 32 ounce package
comes to $0.325 per ounce	comes to $0.342 per ounce
	comes to $0.25 per ounce

To me, this was an easy choice. The 2 calories, 0.4 g of sugar more vs the 2.5 g of protein extra made all the difference. Now mind you, if budget is the issue buying the large container of velvetta was also very appealing. I’ve seen both these items go on sale for lower than that. 

Results, I vote for Velvetta. The main reason for this exercise was to see which was worth more for the buck. We should think of doing this for all foods we buy. We need to make sure we are eating the right foods, and are getting the most we can for the price and convenience. A non processed food would have been a better alternative, but pricing is not always the option. 

This was a fun exercise on something we use often and never took the time to compare. 

Eat right, eat healthy, eat economically and always have fun and make your recipes your own.