Pick the waist-trimming ice cream sandwich

Who says dieters have to give up chocolate cookies and ice cream — or even ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate cookies? In these dog days of summer, you don't need to break you diet in order to have a refreshing dessert. Time for another showdown:

SKINNY COW LOW FAT ICE CREAM SANDWICH
VS. SOY DREAM LIL' DREAMERS ICE CREAM SANDWICH
The Skinny Cow makes low-fat versions of your favorite ice cream treats, including several flavors of sandwiches. Soy Dream, which makes all sorts of frozen desserts, is dairy-free and contains the goodness of soy protein. But which of these frozen treats will satisfy your sweet tooth for fewer calories? WINNER: Soy Dream wins the calorie battle. Each sandwich contains a low 100 calories and only 4 grams of fat — and even an ice cream connoisseur probably couldn't tell the difference between this soy version and those made with milk. Skinny Cow's sandwich is only slightly higher in calories (140), but it also contains less fat (1.5 grams), and a surprising find: 3 grams of fiber. Whether you're watching your calories or want to consume less fat while boosting your fiber intake, the choice is yours. Both of these make healthy choices for different reasons.

Source: SparkPeople

Which ballgame snack wont add extra pounds?

We're well into baseball season now, and while the warm weather and ballpark lend itself to loads of calorie-filled beer, there are some better snacking choices you can make. Time for another food showdown:

LARGE HOT DOG WITH KETCHUP VS. BAG OF CRACKER JACKS
A large hot dog has about 365 calories, compared with 420 calories in just one bag of Cracker Jacks. Although the hot dog has fewer calories, it also contains more than 3 times the fat (23.5 grams), 45% of your daily limit of saturated fat, and almost 5 times the sodium (1,150 mg) compared to the caramel popcorn. SATIETY WINNER: Because the hot dog contains a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat, it'll likely fill you up longer than a sugary snack like Cracker Jacks. But for your health, don't make either a staple of your diet

Source: SparkPeople

"Fruit"-filled snacking

Another food showdown for you, which is especially good right now when I've been talking about snacking! So, which "fruit" snack food is healthier?


BANANA CHIPS VS. CHOCOLATE-COVERED RAISINS
People will add all kinds of things to fruits and veggies to disguise their natural flavors and make them more appealing. Banana chips look healthy and aren't super sweet — basically dried fruit, right? What about chocolate-covered raisins? Raisins are nutritious and chocolate can be healthy in moderation, but how are they together? THE LOW-FAT WINNER: Believe it or not, chocolate-covered raisins are the lesser evil here. Despite the sugar and the chocolate coating, 1.5 ounces of these sweeties contain just over 6 grams of fat and 3.75 grams of saturated fat — that's still 18 percent of you daily value though. For 150 calories, this can be a reasonable treat that won't ruin your diet. But banana chips are much, much worse. Cooked in high-fat oil and loaded with sugar, a small 1.5-ounce serving of these crunchy fruits contains 14.5 grams of fat, over 12 grams of saturated fat (62 percent of your daily value), and 220 calories. Don't fool yourself when it comes to yogurt-covered raisins though. Although yogurt may sound healthier than chocolate, these still pack more fat (8.5 grams) and calories (200) than the chocolate version.

Remain nuts!

SparkPeople, which I mentioned here, e-mails me daily with smart vs. not-so-smart food choices. The one I got today was a great eye opener as I cook with both — almonds vs. walnuts — and much of the time it is easy to swap one out for the other in recipes (if you're trying to be a little more health conscience, that is).

ALMONDS VS. WALNUTS
Nuts have gotten a bad rap as a high calorie, indulgent food that we should decline whenever tempted. True, nuts get more than half of their calories from fat. But the fat in nuts is healthy for you, your heart, and your waistline. But how do different types of nuts compare to each other? Almonds are a healthy source of calcium, and make a great snack alone or in your favorite salad. Walnuts are an excellent source of magnesium and vitamin B6. If you want to get the health benefits of nuts without adding excessive calories to your diet, which of these two should you choose? THE LOW-FAT WINNER: Almonds contain about 182 calories and 19 grams of fat per 1/3-cup, making them a good option when trying to add nuts to your diet. At 261 calories and 26 grams of fat, the same serving of walnuts is a little harder to handle. Of course, moderation is important. About 1 to 1-1/2 ounces of nuts are recommended per day to fall into the healthy category. This is approximately one handful. If you eat much beyond that, you're eating a lot of calories!