I ate a raw fig the other day for the first time. It made me think back to when my mom used to buy fig newtons. As cute little sweet cookies, they weren’t too bad. Nabisco rebranded their classic fig newtons a while back. They are now called Newtons and have fig and strawberry flavors. We will stick to the fig flavors here. There are three varieties: Fig Cookies (the original recipe), Whole Grain Cookies, and Fat-Free Newtons.
Nabisco Fig Newtons are considered vegan. They don’t contain any dairy or meat products, though some ingredients are controversial in the vegan community. There are several fig bars and snacks on the market carry a vegan label and are healthier. The best alternatives are Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars, That’s It Apple & Fig Fruit Bars, and Maker’s Kitchen Energy Bars.
Nabisco changed the recipe a while back and declared that they no longer use dairy products. There are no claims to them being vegan, however. Let’s talk about Newton’s ingredients and whether they are a healthy snack. Then based on your beliefs, you can decide if they are right for you. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Questionable Ingredients in Newtons
1. Figs
These little fruits have some controversy in the vegan community. Figs are pollinated by wasps that stay trapped within the fruit after pollination. Enzymes inside the fruit break down the insects, but some of them remain in the fruit. While this is a natural process, some vegans argue that figs are not suitable for consumption as all figs contain dead wasps to some extent. Other vegans see this as a process of nature and are ok with eating figs. Some figs are grown without wasp pollination, which solves the problem, but there’s no way of knowing where the figs came from unless you talk to the fig farmer
2. Processed sugar
Newtons contain A LOT of sugar. Sugar processing can be done in several ways, one of them being the use of bone char (which is burnt animal bones). There are several vegan-friendly ways sugar mills can refine their product, but it is unclear which one is used in the manufacture of Newtons.
3. Palm Oil
This is vegan, but the manufacturing process is controversial; forests are burned, and wildlife habitats are destroyed to plant palm forests. There is ethically produced palm oil, and often, products will point this out on their labels. Nabisco does not, so it’s unclear where their palm oil is sourced. This is an issue with some vegans.
4. Artificial Colors and Natural Flavors
These two ingredients are often questionable as they can be animal or plant-based. Nabisco does not specify their source, so this is a gray area for some vegans.
Are Fig Newtons a Healthy Choice?
Figs by themselves are very nutritious. They are low fat and have at least nine vitamins and minerals, including potassium, manganese, vitamin K, vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, thiamine, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. Dried figs are even better for you. It’s a powerful antioxidant, has anti-cancer properties, is antidiabetic, anti-aging, anti-bacterial, and antifungal. The fiber in Newtons is mainly from the figs.
While Newtons are made from real fruit (figs are the first ingredient) and are a source of whole grains, they have some drawbacks. One serving of Newtons (2 little cookies) contains 1/3 to ½ of your daily recommended allowance of sugar and carbohydrates. On the upside, they do have some fiber – one to three grams per serving, and there are some vitamins and minerals from the enriched flour and the figs.
While they are a better choice than some other cookies, there are healthier alternatives if you want to take advantage of the fig goodness.
Nabisco Newton Products
All Nabisco Fig Cookies are made with real fruit, and they do not use high fructose corn syrup in their recipe. They have 5g to 9g of whole grains per serving.
Newtons Fig Cookies
These are the Classic Fig Newtons.
Ingredients:
- Figs
- Whole Grain Wheat Flour
- Invert Sugar
- Unbleached Enriched Flour
- Wheat Flour
- Niacin
- Reduced Iron
- Thiamine Mononitrate (B1)
- Riboflavin (B12)
- Folic Acid
- Corn Syrup
- Sugar
- Canola Oil
- Palm Oil
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Calcium Lactate
- Malic Acid
- Soy Lecithin
- Sodium Benzoate
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Sulfur Dioxide
Nutritional Facts:
- 100 calories per 2 cookies
- 2g fat
- 95mg sodium
- 21g carbohydrates (1g fiber, 12g total sugars, 8g added sugars)
- 1g protein
- 20mg calcium
- .6mg iron
- 70mg potassium
Newtons Whole Grain Cookies
A 100% whole grain cookie.
Ingredients:
- Whole Grain Wheat Flour
- Figs
- Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Invert Sugar
- Canola Oil
- Soluble Corn Fiber
- Palm Oil
- Oat Fiber
- Salt
- Resistant Corn Maltodextrin
- Baking Soda
- Calcium Lactate
- Malic Acid
- Soy Lecithin
- Sodium Benzoate
- Sulfur Dioxide
- Natural Flavor
- Artificial Flavor
Nutritional Facts:
- 100 calories per 2 cookies
- 5g fat
- 95mg sodium
- 22g carbohydrates (2g dietary fiber, 12g total sugars, 9g added sugars)
- 1g protein
- 20mg calcium
- 80mg potassium
- .5mg iron
Newtons Fat-Free Fig Cookies
Fig Newtons with zero fat.
- Figs
- Whole Grain Wheat Flour
- Sugar
- Unbleached Enriched Flour
- Wheat Flour
- Niacin
- Reduced Iron
- Thiamine Mononitrate (B1)
- Riboflavin (B12)
- Folic Acid
- Corn Syrup
- Invert Sugar
- Glycerin
- Salt
- Soy Lecithin
- Leavening
- Baking Soda
- Calcium Phosphate
- Calcium Lactate
- Sodium Benzoate
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Sulfur Dioxide
Nutritional Facts:
- 90 calories per 2 cookies
- 0g fat
- 90mg sodium
- 23g carbohydrates (1g dietary fiber, 13g total sugars, 9g added sugars)
- 1g protein
- 30mg calcium
- .6mg iron
- 80mg potassium
Vegan Alternatives
As mentioned, figs are a questionable ingredient among strict vegans, but for the alternatives, we will assume that you are a vegan that eats figs.
Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars
The bars come in original fig, blueberry, and raspberry flavors. The information that follows is for the original flavor. They are vegan certified and soft-baked without dairy, nuts, soy, or GMOs. They are also kosher verified.
Ingredients:
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Sugars
- Cane sugar
- Brown rice syrup
- Apple juice
- Fig paste
- Canola oil
- Whole grain oats
- Glycerin
- Sea salt
- Citric acid
- Sodium bicarbonate
Nutritional Facts:
- 200 calories per bar
- 5g fat (.5g saturated)
- 38g carbohydrates (3g fiber, 20g sugars)
- 3g protein
- 80mg sodium
- 150mg potassium
- 20mg calcium
- .05mg iron
That’s It. Apple & Fig Fruit Bars
Each bar contains one apple and two figs. Vegan, kosher, gluten-free, allergen-friendly, certified paleo, and non-GMO project verified. It doesn’t get any more natural than this. Besides fig, the company pairs apples with banana, blueberry, cherry, mango, and strawberry.
Ingredients:
- Apples
- Figs
Nutritional Facts:
- 70 calories per bar
- 0g fat
- 0mg sodium
- 14g carbohydrates (3g dietary fiber, 10g sugars)
- 1g protein
- 38mg calcium
- 1mg iron
- 208mg potassium
Maker’s Kitchen Energy Bars
Maker’s vegan bars are USDA certified organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, and all-natural. One bar provides 4g of healthy vegan proteins. The ingredients are sourced from California farms.
Ingredients:
- Organic Dried Figs
- Organic Dates
- Organic Almonds
Nutritional Facts:
- 190 calories per package that contains 3 bars
- 6g fat
- 0mg sodium
- 33g carbohydrates (6g dietary fiber, 24g sugars)
- 4g protein
- 81mg calcium
- 2mg iron
- 362mg potassium
Nutra Fig Bars or Fignuts
There are two flavors: BerrySplosion and Cherry Pie. Fignuts do not use artificial colors or flavors. They are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and high fiber.
Ingredients in BerrySplosion bars:
- Figs
- Dates
- Blueberries
- Almonds
- Natural Flavors
- Malic Acid
- Potassium Sorbate
Nutritional Facts:
- 140 calories in a 1.5 oz package
- 3g fat
- 0mg cholesterol
- 0mg sodium
- 26g carbohydrates (4g dietary fiber, 22g total sugars)
- 2g protein
- 6mg iron
- 180mg potassium
- 3mg calcium
Related Questions
Are Nabisco Fig Newtons Vegan?
Maybe. Assuming you consider figs vegan (which many do), the company does not have any claims related to sugar processing or the addition of natural flavors. Many vegans do consider Newtons vegan, but we’ll leave it up to you to decide for yourself.
What Allergens are in Nabisco Fig Newtons?
Newtons contain wheat and soy.
Are Nabisco Fig Newtons Kosher?
Yes, they are kosher-certified.
Are Nabisco Fig Newtons Gluten-free?
No, they contain wheat. There are several recipes out there for gluten-free fig newtons. Instead of wheat flour, common ingredients are coconut flour and almond flour. Many of these recipes are also vegan.