Taste Test Tuesday – Ruffles Baked! Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips

People can get pretty persnickety about their potato chips. But…if you have a fairly open mind (or flexible taste buds as it were)…you might find this new baked potato chip quite suitable for your chip cravings.

With a flavor like "cheddar & sour cream" you know it's going to have some of that orange powder on the outside. Some of you might be horrified by this and some of you might be saying, "bring it on." The flavor isn't obnoxiously strong and if you like this flavor in regular potato chips, as my tasters did, you are fairly likely to like the flavor in this product. The texture is going to be a bit different from the higher fat potato chips, so just know that going in.

The first three ingredients are dehydrated potatoes, modified cornstarch, and corn oil.
Each 1-ounce serving (about 10 whole chips) contains:

• 120 calories
• 3.5 g fat (.5 g saturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, 1 g monounsaturated fat, 0 g trans)
• 21 g carbohydrate (2 g fiber)
• 270 mg sodium.

These chips are definitely low in fat and you actually get 2 grams of fiber with each ounce too. The sodium will add up quickly if you eat more than an ounce though.

Cheesecake Sticker Shock

I was picking up a "to-go" order from my favorite restaurant chain, Cheesecake Factory, and they told me it was going to be a few minutes wait. So…I did what any red-blooded American woman would do and I started window-shopping the cheesecake display case. I was looking at the different tags next to the assorted unbelievably appetizing cheesecakes, which listed their name, the price per slice, and some other number.

I grabbed my reading glasses and zeroed in on what this larger number referred to. Within seconds I realized this number was the number of calories per slice! Since I had some time on my hands and I am nothing if not a dietitian…I started sizing up what the lowest and highest calorie options were.

Here are the results:

• The Low Carb Cheesecake was the lowest with 544 calories per slice
• The Original Cheesecake was the second lowest with 665 calories per slice
• The Fresh Strawberry (my personal favorite) came in next with 704 calories per slice.

The two highest slices were:

• Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple was the highest with 1306 calories per slice
• Brownie Sundae Cheesecake was the second highest with 1245 calories per slice

Hello! These are double the amount of calories of the lower calorie
options (which are still VERY delicious)!

The nice young lady behind the cheesecake counter told me (I had to ask) that the calories listed does in fact, include the gratuitous whipped cream squirt that each slice sports and that they had recently added the calorie information due to "a new California law."

What all of this tells me is:

1. When calories are listed next to restaurant items, it might encourage people to make better choices (I witnessed a couple of people change their mind after seeing the numbers).
2. This is one of those occasions when it is best to share. You could cut the slice into a few slivers and make each of those a serving.
3. Never keep me waiting for take-out or I will be left to my own devices and will find something to blog about!

Taste Test Tuesday – Sugar Free Vines (strawberry)

Are you a Red Vine lover? Are you trying to cut back on sugar? If so, the answer could be Sugar Free Vines, found at stores with a sugar-free candy section such as Target and drugstores.

I gave one vine a try and the flavor was subtle but not altogether unpleasant. The texture seemed a little tougher to bite into and chew on compared to the regular Red Vines, but again, not unpleasant.

Here's the reason I personally only had one vine…The sweetness in this candy is coming from maltitol, a sugar alcohol. As a group, the sugar alcohols (sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, xylitol, etc.) are particularly helpful as a sugar replacer for people with diabetes because only a portion of it is digested and absorbed. And the part that is absorbed through the intestinal tract is absorbed slowly, so there is little rise in blood sugar and little need for insulin.

But, the part of the sugar alcohol that isn't digested or absorbed, goes through the intestinal tract and starts to ferment and attract water into the intestinal tract. A certain, individualized amount of discomfort, ranging from gas to diarrhea can result, depending on the amount consumed and each person's intestinal tract. The American Dietetic Association advises that more than 50 grams of sorbitol or 20 grams of mannitol per day can cause diarrhea.

According to the package on these Sugar Free Vines, each twist (or vine) delivers a dose of 2.4 grams of maltitol.

The serving on the package is 7 twists (which sounds like a realistic serving to me) and each serving contains:
90 calories
0 g fat
25 g carbohydrate (17 grams are from the sugar alcohol, maltitol)

The only ingredients are: maltitol syrup, wheat flour, artificial flavor, citric acid, red 40.

How You Cook Your Chicken Makes A HUGE Difference In Nutrition!

Here's the thing about chicken...it can contribute to a healthful, whole foods based, eating style or it can drag a diet down…it all depends on how you cook your chicken.

People prepare chicken all different ways:

• With skin on or skin off (this makes a big difference in fat and calories BTW)


• With additional ingredients added in cooking either as a breading or marinade or sauce

The lowest calorie and lowest fat way to go is the white meat of chicken (the breast) without skin and with nothing added that would tack on any calories or fat. Spices and rubs add flavor without calories and lowfat marinades (like teriyaki sauce or barbecue sauce-which add about 25 calories per tablespoon) don't add too many calories or grams of fat…as long as you aren't dousing the chicken with it.

The highest calorie and highest fat way to go seems to be dark meat chicken, with skin, breaded and deep-fried and covered in a creamy sauce.

Just so you can see for yourself how cooking methods (and added ingredients) can take its toll on the nutrition of chicken, here are a few examples (all 3 ounces cooked)-starting with no skin and nothing added!

• Chicken breast without skin, roasted (3 ounces cooked) = 142 calories, 27 g protein, 3 g fat, .9 g saturated fat, 1.1 g monounsaturated fat, .7 g polyunsaturated fat, 73 mg cholesterol ??
• Chicken (dark meat) without skin, roasted (3 ounces cooked) = 174 calories, 23 g protein, 8.3 g fat, 2.3 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, 79 mg cholesterol
• Chicken (fast food) crispy strips (3 ounces) = 233 calories, 17 grams protein, 13 g fat, 2.8 g saturated fat, 43 mg cholesterol
• Chicken dark meat with skin batter fried (3 ounces) = 253 calories, 18.5 g protein, 16 g fat, 4.2 g saturated fat, 76 mg cholesterol
• Buffalo Wings from a restaurant chain (6 ounces because there is probably about 3 ounces of meat with this amount) = 307 calories, 37 g protein, 16 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 175 mg cholesterol

What Does All-Natural Really Mean?

Don't be too impressed when you see "all natural" plastered across a food product in the grocery store because it really doesn't mean anything. I personally find this term useless because there are many things that are "natural" and not synthesized that we would benefit health wise from moderating or consuming less of.

Think about it… Salt and sugar are natural and native to the earth but should we be eating less of them? You bet! Various recreational drugs are technically natural but that doesn't we should all be using them. And one of the worst types of fat, saturated fat, comes to us naturally from animal foods and naturally from the palm and coconut plants.

It seems that the FDA has no plans to establish a definition of this term at least in the near future. In 2007 the FDA received two petitions, one by the Sugar Association and the other from Sara Lee requesting them to clearly define the term. The FDA is still holding to policy that it released in 1993: "FDA has not established a formal definition for the term 'natural', however the agency has not objected to the use of the term on food labels provided it is used in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and the product does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances."

So this tells us nothing. Don't let the term used on product labels persuade you to buy it and don't let the lack of the term on product labels dissuade you. I'm still going to encourage you to do what I tell everyone to do when considering a new product:

• Look at the ingredient label to see what the main ingredients are.
• Look at the nutrition facts label to see the total calories, fat grams, saturated fat grams, sugar grams, etc.per serving.
• Look at the serving size to double check this is about the amount you tend to consume.

Taste Test Tuesday – Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins

When you first see these on the supermarket shelf you’ll take a double take because you won't be sure what they are exactly. They are thinner than a hamburger bun but thicker than a tortilla. They are smaller than a pita pocket and rounder than a piece of bread.

These Sandwich Thins (sold under the Arnold brand outside of the West) can be used any way you would use all of the above. Use them to make mini pizzas or as a bun for sandwiches. You can toast them for a snack or serve them with breakfast.

The first 5 ingredients are:
Whole-wheat flour
Water
Wheat bran
Sugar
Wheat gluten

Each serving (1 roll) contains:
100 calories
5 g protein
21 g carbohydrate
1 g fat
0 g saturated fat
5 g fiber
230 mg sodium

How do they taste?

These rolls have a really nice texture and taste and the entire Magee family has been enjoying them ever since I took that double take a few days ago.

Do You Stop at 1/2-cup?

Have you noticed the serving size on ice cream cartons is 1/2-cup? That's about one small scoop of ice cream. Do you stop at 1/2-cup or does your ice cream serving venture into the 3-scoop zone? That can be formidable in the calorie and fat gram department. Even if it's light ice cream, a 1 1/2-cup serving will be at least 330 calories and about 10 grams of fat. If it isn't light ice cream, get ready for a possible whopping 840 calories and 51 grams of fat. Ben & Jerry's Cake Batter Ice Cream contains 280 calories and 17 grams of fat per 1/2-cup serving.

So how do you happily keep your serving size to 1/2-cup? Here are some tips:

• Choose a light ice cream that you truly think is delicious. This way you will be more likely to be satisfied with the 1/2-cup serving.


• Enjoy your 1/2-cup serving in a small cup or really small bowl. It will look more satisfying this way.


• Eat your ice cream in a cone or in a small cup with an extra small spoon. This will hopefully slow down the eating process so you can really enjoy each and every lick (if in a cone) or every bite (if using a small spoon). A cake/wafer ice cream cone only adds about 16 calories but it inspires you to slowly lick your way through that 1/2-cup.

Do You End The Day The Ice Cream Way?

Some people, perhaps by a force of nature or habit, like to end their day with a little bowl of ice cream. And some people clearly don't. I'm married to a man who has the ice cream gene. We usually have a couple of light ice cream flavors, or light frozen dessert options, in the freezer at all times. Right around nine-ish, he makes his way to the kitchen to make himself a little bowl of the cold creamy stuff.

I know the Magee household is not alone in this. While growing up my neighbor's dad would pony up to a ginormous bowl of ice cream while watching TV in the evening. (Plus the fact that the ice cream section stretches almost an entire aisle length.)

But it has come to my attention recently that there are families out there who do not give ice cream the time of day. I asked a couple non-ice cream families what they tend to stock in their house instead of ice cream and they both answered, "cookies"… which might explain the hundreds of cookie options sold in most supermarkets. What happens when an ice cream person meets up with a cookie fan? I guess that's why we have ice-cream sandwiches made with cookies!

If you do indulge in ice cream and frozen desserts daily, it is even more important to choose brands that are much lower in calories, fat and saturated fat. Light ice cream has come a long way. If you haven't tried them lately, give them a go. For about 3.5 grams of fat and 110 calories per half-cup serving, you can find plenty of great-tasting ice cream options. My whole family absolutely loves the Light Moose Tracks Ice cream or Light Mint Chocolate Chip from the Safeway Select brand, plus pretty much any flavor in the Dreyer's Slow Churned Light line. In fact, I have two in my freezer right now.

B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Fruit)

What's the one type of food you just don't seem to get enough of when you are away from home or traveling? Fruit! So I decided to try a little experiment with my family on our trip this past week.

The BYOF Hypothesis:
What if you went out of your way to bring your own fruit with you, or buy some when you got there? Would you miraculously eat more fruit?

The Magee Vacation Experiment:
I packed a small bag of fruit this week on our recent mini vacation (by car) and then kept the fruit visible in our hotel room – we are talking apricots, apples, bananas and pears. What happened? With the exception of a couple of the apples, all were eaten by the end of our stay. The fruit came in handy as snacks, day or night.

Some other ways to work some fruit into your day while traveling is to:

• Order fresh fruit with your entrée at restaurants instead of French fries or other fried side dishes.
• Order a fresh fruit plate with breakfast, lunch or dinner and share it with your table.
• Anytime you see whole pieces of fruit that look good (like at a coffee shop or deli), grab a piece and take it with you. It's highly likely you will have nibbled on it by the end of the day.
• Enjoy some 100% fruit juice every day as a beverage.