Costco trail mix can be a healthy addition to your diet. This snack is full of protein, “healthy fats” and fiber.
Trail Mix is extremely easy to incorporate into your diet. You can easily pack some when you’re on the go, or grab a few handfuls at home.
To the surprise of many, Kirkland trail mix is one of the best trail mixes you can buy on the market.
In this post, we will discuss Costco trail mix nutrition facts, ingredients, the different pricing of Costco trail mix and nutritional concerns about this snack as part of your diet.
- Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts (4lb Bag)
- Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts Continued (4lb Bag)
- Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts (Snack Packs)
- Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts Continued (Snack Packs)
- Kirkland Trail Mix Ingredients
- Unknown Ingredients Defined
- Is Costco Trail Mix Healthy?
- Almonds, Peanuts & Cashews Have Healthy Fats
- Kirkland Trail Mix Pricing
- Costco Trail Mix Amazon Pricing
- Costco Trail Mix Pricing Across the Web
- Make Your Own Trail Mix
- Other Trail Mixes at Costco
- In Review
Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts (4lb Bag)
Here we take a quick look at the calories and nutrition facts of the four pound bag of Costco trail mix.
| Calories | 160 |
|---|---|
| Calories from Fat | 80 |
| Total Fat | 9g |
| Saturated Fat | 2g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 55mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 14g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g |
| Sugars | 11g |
| Protein | 5g |
Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts Continued (4lb Bag)
In the four pound bag of Costco trail mix, three tablespoons is 160 calories. Three tablespoons is not a lot of food, so it can be easy to over eat a snack like this.
Note, this trail mix does contain peanuts and the other trail mixes Costco offers are all manufactured in facilities that process peanuts. Below we will list some recipes for trail mixes that are peanut free.
Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts (Snack Packs)
Here we take a look at how the nutritional facts for the trail mix snack packs differ from the four pound bag.
| Calories | 300 |
|---|---|
| Calories from Fat | 160 |
| Total Fat | 18g |
| Saturated Fat | 4g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 100mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 26g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2g |
| Sugars | 20g |
| Protein | 9g |
Kirkland Trail Mix Nutrition Facts Continued (Snack Packs)
One snack pack, or pouch of Costco trail mix is 300 calories. The pouches are 2 ounces (57g) and contain more calories than the serving size on the four pound bag.
This isn’t a big deal necessarily, it just really puts into perspective how serving sizes can differ greatly in small amounts with a snack like this.
Kirkland Trail Mix Ingredients
Ingredients: Peanuts roasted in peanut oil and salt, M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies milk chocolate (sugar, chocolate, skim milk, cocoa butter, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, pgpr, salt, artificial and natural flavors), sugar, cornstarch, less than 1% – corn syrup, dextrin, coloring (includes blue 1 lake, yellow 6, red 40, yellow 5, blue 1, yellow 6 lake, red 40 lake, yellow 5 lake, blue 2, blue 2 lake), gum acacia. Raisins coated in non-hydrogenated sunflower oil, Almonds roasted in peanut oil and salt, Cashews roasted in peanut oil and salt. CONTAINS: Peanuts, almonds, cashews, soy and milk.
This is quite the list for a bag of trail mix and we know there are others out there that have a smaller ingredient list. Below we breakdown our thoughts about the ingredients and nutrition facts.
Unknown Ingredients Defined
- PGPR: This stands for polygycerol polyricinoleate. What? PGPR consists of fatty acids and glycerol and comes from castor beans. Manufacturers use this as an emulsifier to help breakdown the “thickness” of chocolate, so it can help the chocolate flow better during production.
- Dextrin: Manufacturers make dextrin by heating up dry starch with, or without an acid. They can be made from any starch and there are multiple types. These include yellow dextrins, white dextrins and British gums.
- Gum Acacia: This is another emulsifier and actually comes from acacia Senegal trees. It is common in chocolate, sweets and soft drinks. If it weren’t for this ingredient, all the sugar in fizzy drinks people drink would fall to the bottom of the can. So, somehow, someway, we found a “natural” edible glue to add to a wide variety of foods we eat.
What We Think: Is Costco Trail Mix Healthy?
After taking a look at the nutrition label and ingredient list, you may be put off by Kirkland trail mix. More than anything, we think this helps people understand the caloric makeup of different types of nuts. Nuts consist of mostly fat and protein.
For every 1g of fat you eat, that is 9 calories. For every 1g of protein you eat, that is 4 calories. Since trail mix is mostly nuts, the calories add up pretty quick.
The M&M’s don’t help either. Personally, we are not fans of food dyes and think you should check out this link here to learn more about them. On top of food dye, calories from refined sugars can add up quickly in any food they are added to.
Ultimately, if you do not like long ingredient lists, this trail mix may not be for you. Once ingredient lists starts to get lengthy, it is safe to assume you are eating a highly processed food.
Almonds, Peanuts & Cashews Have Healthy Fats
Many people see the fat content on trail mix nutrition labels and get wide eyed. It’s important to note that fats from nuts are generally heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
According to the American Heart Association, it is “healthy” to have a small handful of nuts, or tablespoons of nut butter a day. The saturated fats in nuts can help promote a healthy heart and reduce cholesterol.
Kirkland Trail Mix Pricing
Overall, any product that contains nuts can be expensive. Higher pricing here is due to an expensive growing process and higher level of nutrients.
What we like about this trail mix is its affordability when comparing to other brands. What’s also nice about Costco trail mix is you are able to buy it even if you are not a member of Costco.
Costco Trail Mix Amazon Pricing
On Amazon, you are able to buy Costco trail mix in a wide variety of ways. You can buy one 4lb bag, or a pack of two 4lb bags at a time. You can also buy the snack pack box, all with two day shipping available.
Costco Trail Mix Pricing Across the Web
Below is a list of places you are able to buy Kirkland trail mix online:
Make Your Own Trail Mix
Sometimes the healthiest option for certain foods is the one you make at home. This can be the case for trail mix and below we list a few recipes that we like:
Other Trail Mixes at Costco
Below are a few other brands of trail mixes at Costco we like:
In Review
Overall, Kirkland trail mix is affordable and a hearty snack. There are a few ingredients we don’t like and as long as you don’t eat too much of this product each day, it can be a good snack to add to your diet. So, give this one a try, or try making your own at home!
