iVillage.com: Which Is Worse? How to Avoid Unhealthy Snacks
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Whether you want something sweet, salty, crunchy or creamy, get tips on making the healthier choice.
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Nabisco Triscuit...
The baked whole wheat cracker or the popcorn (also a whole grain) topped with cheddar cheese and salt: Which is worse?
(CREDIT: Nabisco/Amazon Fresh)
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Worse: Smartfood...
Popcorn is a wonderfully healthy food until you start putting stuff on top of it. “People think, ‘it’s popcorn; I’m not eating something bad,’” says Cheryl Kestenbaum, C.D.N, of Columbia Doctors Medical Group. “But the way the industry makes it taste good is by loading it with fat and salt.” The Smartfood has 10 grams of fat (2 saturated) compared to 4.5 grams in the Triscuits. You know what do.
(CREDIT: Amazon Fresh)
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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast. -
Thomas’ Whole Wh...
You’ve got some hummus or peanut butter (both protein-packed, good-for-you snack choices), but what should you schmear it on? The 110-calorie whole wheat bagel thin or the 120-calorie multigrain snack cracker? Which is worse?
(CREDIT: Thomas/Kelloggs)
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Worse: Kellogg’s...
When the calorie counts are so close and both boast healthy ingredients (“whole wheat” and “multigrain”) you have to scan further down the nutrition label for clues to the best choice. Per serving, the Special K Cracker Chips have more fat (3 grams vs. 1 gram), less fiber (3 grams vs. 5 grams) and half the protein of the bagel thins. “With the bagel thins you get more bang for your buck,” says Lona Sandon, R.D., assistant professor of clinical nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “But on their own, there’s not much going on to fill you up.” So definitely pair a bagel thin with hummus, peanut butter or low-fat cheese to keep you satisfied until your next meal.
(CREDIT: Kelloggs)
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Jolly Time Healt...
Both are quick and easy to eat, whether it’s microwaving a bag or popcorn or chewing on snacking seeds. Which is worse?
(CREDIT: Amazon Fresh [2])
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Worse: Salted Su...
They seem so harmless, don’t they? They're just tiny seeds in crunchy, salty shells. Don’t let them trick you; 1/4 cup of shelled sunflower seeds has nearly 200 calories and 15 grams of fat. “I see people in the nut aisle picking this stuff up and I want to scream ‘Stop it!’” says Kestenbaum. If you really want nuts, she suggests an alternative: "Buy the 100-calorie packs of almonds instead.”
(CREDIT: Amazon Fresh)
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Pretzel M&Ms v. ...
Maybe it was the grocery check-out aisle or the leftover Halloween candy, but whichever the culprit, you fell victim to the lure of chocolate. Which one of these guilty pleasures is worse, sweet-and-salty M and Ms or pure chocolate Hershey's kisses?
(CREDIT: Amazon Fresh/Hershey's)
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Worse: Hershey’s...
Nine Hershey’s Kisses (that’s one serving) are higher in calories (200 vs. 150), fat (12 grams vs. 5 grams) and sugar (23 grams vs. 16 grams) than one 1.14 ounce bag of Pretzel M and Ms. “The M and Ms might cure the craving both for something sweet and salty but with lower calories and less fat,” says Sandon. If nine Kisses sounds like a lot, consider that one kiss has 22 calories. Eat only four and you have a snack that comes in at less than 100 calories.
(CREDIT: Hershey's)
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Dannon Oikos Fat...
Sometimes you just need a little bit of dairy to make it through the day. Do you opt for the thick and creamy Oikos Greek yogurt or the rich and smooth Babybel cheese? Which is worse?
(CREDIT: Dannon/The Laughing Cow)
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Worse: Laughing ...
If you’re considering either of these as a snack, kudos to you says Sandon. They’re both healthy choices, but there is a winner here, and Laughing Cow isn’t it. Yes, the cheese has a lot fewer calories -- one Mini Babybel has 70 calories vs. 130 in the yogurt, but the cheese has 6 grams of fat compared to 0 grams in the yogurt. Then there’s the belly-filling protein: Oikos’ with 12 grams (compared to Babybel’s 5 grams) lessening the odds that you’ll be scavenging for more food before dinnertime.
(CREDIT: Dannon/The Laughing Cow)
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Kudos Granola Ba...
The Kudos combines M and Ms, granola, crisped rice and oats. The Quaker bar has peanut butter, chocolate chips and oats. If you’re going to eat granola, which is worse?
(CREDIT: Amazon Fresh/Quaker)
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Worse: Kudos Gra...
“They’re almost identical,” admits Kestenbaum. Both have 100 calories, about 3 grams of fat around 100 milligrams of sodium. “But if I had to nitpick, the peanut butter adds an extra gram of protein to the Quaker bar, making it the better choice,” she adds. The Quaker bar also has a smidge less sugar -- 7 grams vs. 9 grams.
(CREDIT: Amazon Fresh)
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Chex Mix vs. Pop...
It’s veg-out time and you’re ready to dive into a bag of crunchy goodness. Do you opt for the Chex Mix and its blend of cereal, nuts, pretzels, butter and Worcestershire sauce, or the potato chips that are “popped” with the help of a pressure cooker? Which is worse?
(CREDIT: General Mills/Amazon Fresh)
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Worse: Chex Mix
These two are actually very close in terms of calories and total fat. A 1-ounce serving of Chex Mix has 120 calories; a slightly smaller serving (0.8 ounces) of Pop Chips has 100. The Chex Mix has 4 grams of fat and the Pop Chips 3 grams. But here's the game changer: Chex Mix has 1 gram of saturated fat and 31 percent more sodium than the Pop Chips (210 milligrams vs. 160 milligrams). “None of us need excess sodium,” says Sandon. “Most of the sodium we get comes from pre-packaged foods like these. So if we can make tweaks by choosing the lower-sodium foods, it can make a difference at the end of the day.”
(CREDIT: General Mills)
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Nabisco Newton F...
The Nabisco Newton Fruit Thins boast real fruit and whole grains baked. The Nutri-Grain Cereal Bar features real fruit surrounded by a whole grain crust. Which is worse?
(CREDIT: Nabisco/Kelloggs)
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Worse: Nabisco N...
The Nutri-Grain Bar has less fat (3 grams vs. 5) and fewer calories, (120 vs. 140) but it’s the fiber that makes the difference here. With 3 grams of fiber per bar, the Nutri-Grain has more real fruit and whole grains than the Newton Fruit Thins with only 1 gram of fiber. “Fiber is good for our digestive tract and good for helping us feel satisfied when what we ate,” says Sandon.
(CREDIT: Nabisco)
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Kellogg’s Rice K...
A Rice Krispie Treat is sweet, chewy and gooey, but is it better or worse than the soft chocolate muffins? Which is worse?
(CREDIT: Kelloggs/Amazon Fresh)
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Worse: Entenmann...
“Muffins, in general, are bad,” says Kestenbaum. These are no exception. One pack has 190 calories, 9 grams of fat and 17 grams of sugar. The Rice Krispie Treat seems almost healthy in comparison: It only has 90 calories, 2 grams of fat and 8 grams of sugar. So have a Treat and pass on the Muffins.
(CREDIT: Amazon Fresh)
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Hershey Chocolat...
It’s 3 p.m. and it’s happened again: You’ve succumbed to the lure of the office vending machine. Should you press the button for the chocolate bar or embrace your inner child and opt for the Oreos? Which is worse?
(CREDIT: Hershey's/Nabisco)
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Worse: 6-Pack Or...
The Oreos are the loser here not because of calories (only 60 more than the Hershey’s chocolate bar) or fat (the chocolate actually has more). It’s the sodium numbers that have Sandon shaking her head. The snack-size Oreos have 310 milligrams of sodium, 10 times as much as you find in the Hershey bar. “You’re trading a little more fat in the Hershey’s for less sodium,” says Sandon. “It’s not a great trade-off, but it’s a trade-off nonetheless.” If you can, Sandon says choose the Hershey Special Dark Chocolate Bar, which has fewer calories, less fat and less sodium than the milk chocolate variety, as well as those disease-preventing antioxidants.
(CREDIT: Nabisco)
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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast. -
See the Full Gal... Whether you want something sweet, salty, crunchy or creamy, get tips on making the healthier choice.
