Loser - Bakery Bread! Beware of bakery products and pre-packaged doughs - they're all high in fat! With 55% fat, these tasty breads are a dieter's nightmare! And that's before you add the butter! Doughnuts are worse with anywhere from 48% to 70% fat. Biscuits are slightly better with 35% fat but that's still a lot of fat! The winners are bagels with 7% fat, home baked breads, and sliced, prepackaged breads from the grocery store with 9% fat.

Winner - Gummy Candy!Everyone likes something sweet once in a while! These candies are mostly sugar with no fat or cholesterol. One ounce of gum drops has 98 calories as compared to losers like one ounce of milk chocolate and almonds with 155 calories and 52% fat, a 2-inch square fudge brownie with 150 calories and 36% fat, and a slice of apple pie with 230 calories and 40% fat.

Loser - Microwave Popcorn!
Regular microwave popcorn contains 70% fat and 500 calories per popped bag, while the cheddar butter and "super buttery" theatre kind contain as much as 1400 calories per bag of mostly fat! WOW! The winner is air popped corn, low in calories and high in fiber. You'll need an Air Popper which can be purchased in the appliance section of most stores. And don't forget! Remember the "old days" before the invention of microwave ovens? Try heating a little bit of cooking oil in a large pot, add some popcorn, and shake vigorously. This method will provide more fat than an air popper, but not nearly as much as microwaved popcorn. For added flavor, try sprinkling with a little pepper, salt, Worcestershire Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, powdered garlic, or powdered onion.

Winner - Vegy Dogs and Burgers! You don't have to be vegetarian to eat vegetarian! If you're trying to cut down on fat and cholesterol, you'll want to eat plenty of these delicious dogs and burgers with NO cholesterol. Check the Nutrition Facts label because, while some brands contain the good fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, others contain no fat at all. Add a slice of soy cheese to make a cheeseburger! Be sure to add plenty of ketchup, mustard, and relish which contain no fat or cholesterol to your dog! If you like chili dogs, load up with vegetarian chili! The losers are red meat burgers loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol which contribute to coronary artery disease. Regular hotdogs and sausage are big losers with 80% saturated fat and 45 mgs. of cholesterol, and chicken dogs with 68% fat and 55 mgs. of cholesterol.

Winner - Jelly and Jam!
If you're watching your weight, choose jelly for your toast rather than butter. One tablespoon of jelly or jam provides 50 calories and NO fat or cholesterol. Jam provides fiber. The losers are margarine and butter which provide twice the calories and are 100% fat, while jelly and jam are 100% sugar. Because sugar is used for energy, these calories will be burned off while fat is metabolized right back to fat!

Here's how to figure the percentage of fat in your food:

From the Nutrition Facts label on the package, multipy the number of grams of fat in one serving by 9. Divide this number by the total number of calories in one serving. Then multiply by 100 to get a percentage. For example, if one serving contains 110 calories and 6 grams of fat, then 6 x 9 = 54 and 54 divided by 110 x 100 = 49% fat per serving.

NUtritionTipS
Q- Did your doctor tell you to cut down on high cholesterol foods?
A- Then you'll also have to cut down on high fat foods that are "Cholesterol Free." Why? Because too much dietary fat causes the body to produce excess cholesterol.

Q -If the label says "Cholesterol Free," does that mean it's also "Fat Free?"
A -No! Just because it's cholesterol free doesn't mean it contains no fat. Be sure to read the Nutrition Facts label on the package.

Where do you get your nutrition information? Most states now have licensure laws for Dietitians and Nutritionists. Be sure your nutrition advisor is "Licensed" by the State as a Licensed Dietitian (LD) or Licensed Nutritionist (LN), or in states that don't have licensure laws, a Registered Dietitian.

CarboH, Inc.
Barbara Herondorf, L.D.