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Shape's 2nd Annual Best Snack Awards!

2009-03-18T19:57:47Z

1. Quaker Chewy Dark Chocolate Cherry 90 Calorie Granola Bars
(90 Calories, 2g Fat per Bar)
Whole-grain oats and wheat make this bar a heart-smart choice, but it was the combination of fruit and candy flavors that won over testers' taste buds. One said: "It's the next best thing to a chocolate-covered cherry." ($3 for a box of 10)

2. Hostess 100 Calorie Packs Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
(100 Calories, 3g Fat for 3 Cakes)
You'll save a whopping 31 grams of sugar and 15 grams of fat by selecting these bitesize treats over the coffeehouse version, but you'll still get that crumbly cinnamon-spiced top—not to mention 5 grams of fiber per three-pack. ($4 for 6 packs of 3)

3. Starbucks Skinny Mocha
(90 Calories, 0g Fat for 12 oz.)
This espresso beverage has about half the calories of the original but still meets 30 percent of your daily calcium needs. "The flavor is like a creamy cross between coffee and hot cocoa," said one tester. "I'll definitely be drinking the iced version this summer!" ($3 for a tall cup)

4. Reese's Peanut Butter Snacksters
(100 Calories, 4g Fat per Pack)
Need a serious hit of PB minus the J? This goodie grab bag filled with peanut butter chips, cereal puffs, and Reese's Pieces makes short work of cravings. One comment: "For peanut butter addicts like me, this mix totally hits the spot." ($3 for a box of 7)

5. Pepperidge Farm Montieri Raspberry Tart Cookies
(120 Calories, 3g Fat for 2 Cookies)
Made with a layer of real fruit and a flaky pastry lattice top, "this cookie reminds me of a fresh-baked pie, in miniature!" one taster claimed. Plus, the treat contains no artificial flavors or preservatives, just like Grandma used to make. ($3 for a bag of 12)

1. Wholly Guacamole 100 Calorie Snack Packs
(100 Calories, 8g Fat per Pouch)
This Tex-Mex favorite delivers heart-healthy fats, folate, and vitamin B6. Guacamole can be tough to stop scooping, so testers were relieved to find it in portion-size packs. One said: "It's just the right amount to use as a dip for lowfat tortilla chips." ($4 for a box of 6)

2. Miss Vickie's Nine Grain Simply Salted Chips
(140 Calories, 7g Fat for 15 Chips)
Wholesome ingredients like steel-cut oats, buckwheat, and barley—plus extras like sunflower seeds and brown rice—give this chip hearty texture. One taster commented: "These are flavorful enough on their own; you hardly need any dip." ($2 for a 6 oz. bag)

3. Dr. Praeger's Sweet Potato Bites
(110 Calories, 3g Fat for 2 Pieces)
Lightly crispy and filled with pieces of tangy sweet potato, each round fulfills 10 percent of your daily vitamin A needs. "I love that they're bitesize, like a passed hors d'oeuvre," one taster said, "and quick to heat up and eat anytime." ($3 for a box of 12)

4. Progresso 40% Less Sodium Italian-Style Wedding Soup
(90 Calories, 2g Fat per Cup)
Seasoned meatballs, tubetti pasta, carrots, and spinach give this soup a thick, chunky texture—and make it a truly satisfying snack. Not only didn't staffers miss the extra sodium, but one said, "I felt full for hours after eating it." ($2 for an 18.5 oz. can)

5. Morningstar Farms Ginger Teriyaki Veggie Cakes
(110 Calories, 2g Fat per Patty)
"These saved me when I had to work late and wanted something 'real' to eat," confided one tester. Each Asian-style patty, made with bok choy, edamame, and sticky rice, provides half the niacin you need daily. ($4 for a box of 4)

1. Edy's Fruit Bars
(45 Calories, 1g Fat per Bar)
From the outside, they look like traditional ice pops, but the fruit-fl avored shell hides a creamy center. "The raspberry flavor is a tasty spin on the original orange variety," shared one tester. Can't find the Edy's brand? Look for the bars sold under the Dreyer's label in some locations. ($6 for a box of 24)

2. Yoplait Fiber One Nonfat Strawberry Yogurt
Each half-cup container delivers 5 grams of fiber—20 percent of what's recommended daily to help reduce your risk of heart disease. "It was a little sweeter than I expected," said one tester, "so it's perfect for mixing with cereal or fruit." ($3 for 6)

3. Sara Lee Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
(120 Calories, 7g Fat for 6 Bites)
No need to split a single piece of cheesecake with friends. This freezer treat lets you keep that crumbly crust and rich filling all to yourself. "Because they tasted so decadent, I only needed two to satisfy my creamy cravings," raved a taster. ($4 for a tub of 40)

4. Kraft LiveActive Natural Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
(80 Calories, 5g Fat per Stick)
These preportioned sticks are made with probiotic cultures, good bacteria that foster healthy digestion. "A sophisticated version of the original string variety—and just the right size for an anytime snack," said one tester. ($4 for a bag of 7)

5. Jell-O Singles Sugar Free Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
(80 Calories, 0g Fat per 4 oz.)
Nonperishable and tiny enough to toss in any bag, this treat made testers nostalgic. "One bite took me back to elementary school," one remarked. To whip up a snack in seconds, stir a packet into half a cup of cold nonfat milk. ($2 for a box of 6)

1. Kellogg's All-Bran Strawberry Drizzle Fiber Bar
(120 Calories, 3g Fat per Bar)
Sure, it contains 10 grams of fiber—40 percent of what you need daily—but bits of real fruit and an icing topper make this healthy snack seem almost like dessert. One tester said she would "grab one when I'm craving a doughnut for breakfast." ($5 for a box of 6)

2. Quaker Caramel Drizzle Mini Delights
(90 Calories, 4g Fat per Bag)
Splashed with smoky caramel, these rice cakes taste nothing like the bland version from years ago. Testers deemed them "ideal for trips to the mall, where you might be tempted to grab something unhealthy from the food court." ($3 for a box of 6)

3. Pringles Baked Wheat Pizza Stix
(90 Calories, 4g Fat per bag)
Tasty things come in slim packages: Each pouch has a dozen crispy wheat sticks dusted with a blend of Italian seasonings. "You get that savory flavor of pizza sauce and just a hint of cheese without all the calories," remarked one taster. ($3 for a box of 10)

4. Kellogg's Wild Animal Crunch Cereal
(100 Calories, 1g Fat for ½ Cup)
The kid in you won't be able to resist the furry creatures featured on the box—or the chocolate—>anilla flavor of the wholegrain cereal inside. Your grown-up side will appreciate that each bowl provides 25 percent of 7 vitamins and minerals. ($3 for an 11 oz. box)

5. Utz Original Multigrain Sunflower Chips
(140 Calories, 6g Fat for 1 oz.)
These wavy crisps are made with flour from whole-grain corn, rice, and oats. And while they're 40 percent lower in fat than traditional chips, they still "taste just sinful enough to make you feel like you're treating yourself," said one tester. ($3 for a 10 oz. bag)

1. TrueNorth 100% Natural Peanut Clusters
(170 Calories, 13g Fat for 6 Pieces)
Knowing when to stop noshing can be tough, but these cubes make portion control easier. Each serving supplies a dose of magnesium and heart-friendly monounsaturated fats. "Great nutty flavor with just a hint of sweetness," said one staffer. ($3 for a 5.5 oz. bag)

2. Kashi Roasted Garlic & Thyme TLC Party Crackers
(130 Calories, 5g Fat for 4 Crackers)
Baked with a delectable blend of garlic, herbs, and sesame seeds, this sophisticated snack delivers 8 grams of whole grains per serving. "I'd top mine with a thin slice of Swiss or Monterey Jack for an extra kick of flavor," one taster remarked. ($3 for a box of 24)

3. Popcorn, Indiana Aged White Cheddar Kettlecorn
(160 Calories, 11g Fat for 2½ Cups)
Even after taste testing was finished, staffers kept asking for extra samples of this cheese popcorn. "For something so light, it's got an incredibly rich, full flavor," said one. "I was tempted to lick my fingers afterward!" ($2 for a 4 oz. bag)

4. Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs Mister Salty Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels
(100 Calories, 4g Fat per Bag)
Pop open a pack and you'll get a generous handful of pretzel rings. "These are the ultimate go-to snack for PMS cravings," said one tester. "They curb your desire for something sweet and salty in one shot." ($3 for a box of 6)

5. LesserEvil Classic SeaSalt Krinkle Sticks
(110 Calories, 3g Fat for 1.2 oz.)
Dusted with white pepper, garlic powder, and sea salt, these sticks are baked—not fried—to make them ultra crispy. Said one tester: "You get the satisfying snap of a potato chip and the fun shape of a French fry without all the extra grease." ($3 for a 5 oz. bag)

source: shape.com

:) time for me to grab a skinny cinnamon dolce latte & head to the gym!

6 Reasons You Overeat

2009-03-16T16:31:11Z

^{We can post articles, right?}

You're overstuffed from dinner, yet you can't resist ordering the Double Dark Chocolate Two-Layer Cake for dessert. You devour an entire bag of barbecue-flavored potato chips at one sitting when you felt like having only a few. Everywhere you go, from the "big box" retailers to your own desk at work and kitchen at home, environmental cues encourage you to eat more than you need -- or even want.

Here are six of the most common pitfalls you're likely to encounter, along with ways to avoid them.

Pitfall 1: Economy-sized anything
Large container sizes can prompt you to prepare or eat more food than you want. When Wansink gave women a 2-pound box of spaghetti and told them to remove enough to make dinner for two, they took out an average of 302 strands. Given a 1-pound box, they removed only 234 strands, on average.

Eat directly from a big package or container, and you'll probably consume about 25 percent more than you would from a smaller package. Unless it's a snack food like candy, chips or popcorn: Then you'll likely eat 50 percent more! In one study, Wansink gave people either a 1- or a 2-pound bag of M&M's and either a medium- or a jumbo-sized tub of popcorn. On average, they ate 112 M&M's from the 1-pound bags and 156 from the 2-pound bags -- and they ate half their popcorn, whether their tubs were medium or jumbo. "When a container is large, people have trouble monitoring how much they're eating," Wansink says.

Solution Buy smaller packages. If you prefer to buy the larger economy size of a product, repackage the food into portion-sized containers based on the label's serving size, especially if it's a snack food. That way you'll know how much you're eating.

Pitfall 2: Convenience & availability
Keep snacks in sight and at hand, and you'll reach for them all day long. When Wansink placed chocolate candies in plain view on office workers' desks, they ate an average of nine pieces each per day and tended to lose track of how many they'd eaten. When the candy was in their desk drawer, they ate only six pieces; when it was out of sight six feet from the desk, they averaged just four.

Rolls tells of a similar type of experiment in a hospital cafeteria: When a lid was kept on an ice-cream cooler, only 3 percent of obese participants and 5 percent of normal-weight ones chose ice cream. When the lid was removed to allow people to see the ice cream and reach it more easily, 17 percent of obese people in the study and 16 percent of lean ones selected it. "Whether or not we need food, when it is put in front of us, we eat it," Rolls says. "And many of us eat it all."

Solution Hide tempting treats. Don't put unhealthful snacks where you can see them. If you must have something within arm's reach, make it celery or carrot sticks, or fill a fruit bowl and keep it close at hand.
I work at a grocery store, talk about having food in sight.

Pitfall 3: Optical illusions
People perceive tall, slender glasses as holding more liquid than short, wide ones, even when both hold the same amount. Wansink had people pour fruit juice into both types of glasses and found that they drank nearly 20 percent more from stubbier glasses, though they perceived themselves as drinking less. "Our eyes tend to overfocus on height, causing us not to see how much volume a short glass contains," he explains.

Solution Think tall and skinny. When enjoying high-calorie drinks like fruit juice, smoothies or alcoholic beverages, use tall, narrow glasses. You'll think you drank more than you actually did.

Pitfall 4: Out-of-control portions
Most people eat more when they're served more. In one of Rolls' studies, restaurant diners were given different-sized portions of baked ziti. When served an additional 52 percent, they ate 45 percent more. And when Wansink gave people stale-tasting 10-day-old popcorn, they still ate 44 percent more from large buckets than medium-sized ones. "Portion cues can even overcome taste," he says.

Solution fill up on smart choices. Nobody ever got fat from eating extra-large portions of salad greens. "As long as you choose the right foods in the first place, you needn't eat less," Rolls says. Big helpings of foods containing a lot of water, such as vegetables, fruits and broth-based soups, can provide satisfying portions with few calories.

Pitfall 5: Bargain-basement food prices
Most fast-food restaurants offer such great deals on supersized portions that you feel foolish ordering smaller servings that cost more per calorie. "When two pieces of something cost less than one, it's clear that the pricing system is wrong," says Simone French, Ph.D., an expert in obesity and eating disorders at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. One of her studies found that lowering the price on vending machine snacks by as little as a nickel spurred more sales than labeling snacks lowfat. "You need to be vigilant," French says. "Everywhere you go, you'll find food sellers undermining your desire to make good choices."

Solution Check your bottom line. Ask yourself if getting your money's worth in the form of huge portions is more important than reaching your weight goals and staying healthy.
This is another problem I have. Broke high school senior = not that much money to buy healthy food.

Pitfall 6: Too many choices
Eating a variety of foods is good because it increases the chances that you'll get all the nutrients you need. But variety also prompts overeating (we tend to get bored with familiar tastes and stop eating sooner). In one experiment, Rolls served sandwiches with four different fillings; people ate one-third more than they did when she gave them sandwiches with their single favorite filling. In another, people who were presented with three shapes of pasta ate 15 percent more than when they were given only their favorite shape. And Wansink found that when he offered people M&Ms in 10 colors, they ate 25-30 percent more than when there were seven colors.

Many people, Rolls says, satisfy their natural desire for different flavors and textures by choosing myriad products -- but ones that are all energy-dense (i.e., high-calorie), such as chips, crackers, pretzels, ice cream and candy. This is a virtual prescription for weight gain.

Solution Indulge your need for variety with healthy foods. Make variety your ally. "Surround yourself with a wide selection of foods that are low in calories but high in flavor, such as fruits and vegetables, beans, some soups, oatmeal and lowfat yogurt," Rolls advises. For example, fill your plate with salad greens and lots of vegetables first, then take small portions of energy-dense foods like meats and cheesy casseroles. Monotony also can be an ally: If you're offered an assortment of cookies, select just one kind and you'll probably end up taking in fewer calories.

source: shape.com

lookingoodbb @ 2009-03-15T15:05:00

2009-03-15T20:06:46Z

New Layout!

Also, please keep up with the activity. Thanks, guys. :]
New stuff coming soon since summer is getting closer everyday.

lookingoodbb @ 2008-02-26T11:09:00

2008-02-26T17:13:23Z

These entries are (mostly) friends-only.