Awesome 2pt snack ideas from Hungry Girl!

For HG's original e-mail with pictures, click HERE.

Guilt-free, portion-controlled snacks ROCK... but they can be pricey. Save cash -- DO IT YOURSELF! Here's the 411 on exactly how many/how much of some of our favorite treats are equal to 100 calories, plus a few fantastic 100-cal combos!

14 almonds
PER SERVING (about 14 whole unsalted nuts): 100 calories, 9g fat, 0mg sodium, 3g carbs, 2g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 3.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

25 pistachios
PER SERVING (about 25 dry-roasted unsalted nuts): 100 calories, 8g fat, 0mg sodium, 5g carbs, 1.75g fiber, 1g sugars, 3.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

16 Popchips
PER SERVING (about 16 chips, average of all flavors): 100 calories, 3.25g fat, 235mg sodium, 16g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugars, 1g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

15 Guiltless Gourmet Tortilla Chips
PER SERVING (about 15 chips, average of all flavors): 100 calories, 2g fat, 156mg sodium, 17.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 0g sugars, 1.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

12 hard pretzel sticks (not rods)
PER SERVING (about 12 small plain sticks, average): 100 calories, 0g fat, 460mg sodium, 23g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugars, 2g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

19 hard pretzel twists
PER SERVING (about 19 mini twists, average): 100 calories, <0.5g fat, 400mg sodium, 20.5g carbs, <1g fiber, <0.5g sugars, 1.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

5 cups 94% fat-free microwave popcorn
PER SERVING (about 5 cups popped corn, average): 100 calories, 0.5g fat, 204mg sodium, 22g carbs, 4g fiber, 0g sugars, 2.5g protein -- POINTS® value 1*

13 Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks
PER SERVING (about 13 mini cakes, average of all flavors): 100 calories, 2g fat, 223mg sodium, 19.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 3.5g sugars, 1.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

4 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses
PER SERVING (about 4 pieces): 100 calories, 5.5g fat, 15mg sodium, 10.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 9g sugars, 1g protein -- POINTS® value 2*


4 teaspoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
PER SERVING (about 4 tsp., average): 100 calories, 5.25g fat, 5mg sodium, 12g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 10.5g sugars, 1g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

27 Reese's Pieces
PER SERVING (about 27 pieces): 100 calories, 4.75g fat, 38mg sodium, 12g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 10g sugars, 2g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

45 mini marshmallows
PER SERVING (about 45 mini marshmallows, average): 100 calories, 0g fat, 25mg sodium, 25.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 18g sugars, 0.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
PER SERVING (about 1/4 cup, average): 100 calories, <0.5g fat, 1mg sodium, 26.5g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 21.5g sugars, 0g protein -- POINTS® value 2*


25 jelly beans (like Jelly Belly)
PER SERVING (about 25 small jelly beans, average): 100 calories, 0g fat, 14mg sodium, 25g carbs, 0g fiber, 20g sugars, 0g protein -- POINTS® value 2*



HG's Super 100-Cal Snack Mixes!

Using your newfound knowledge, make your own mixes! Or try out ours...
Jelly Bean 'Stach Snack
PER SERVING (10 small jelly beans + 15 pistachios): 100 calories, 4.75g fat, 7mg sodium, 13g carbs, 1g fiber, 8.5g sugars, 2g protein -- POINTS® value 2*


Candy 'Mallow Popcorn
PER SERVING (9 Reese's Pieces + 8 mini marshmallows + 2 1/2 cups 94% fat-free microwave popped corn): 100 calories, 1.5g fat, 120mg sodium, 19.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 6.5g sugars, 2g protein -- POINTS® value 2*


Chocolatey Caramel Crunch Mix
PER SERVING (2 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips + 6 Quaker Caramel Corn Quakes): 100 calories, 2.5g fat, 130mg sodium, 17g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 8.5g sugars, 1g protein -- POINTS® value 2*



Berry Nutty Twist Mix
PER SERVING (1 1/2 tbsp. sweetened dried cranberries + 5 almonds + 5 mini pretzel twists): 100 calories, 3g fat, 105mg sodium, 16g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 8g sugars, 1.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

Better than a Restaurant

How (and why) to dine in on better, cheaper, healthier versions of some of your favorite dishes.

Whether you're watching your waistline or watching your bottom line, you might want to think twice before grabbing your favorite fast food or sitting down to a big plate of comfort food at your favorite restaurant. With a little planning and a few minutes in your kitchen, you can make your favorite foods taste better, cost less and be a lot healthier.

Click HERE to get the ideas.

Slimming Buffet Strategies

Did you all read this weeks WW email? I thought there were some good tips.

What are the best weight-loss options at a buffet?

Need ideas for coping with restaurant buffets? Want some good snack ideas? In our Q&A series, WeightWatchers.com nutritionist and food editor Leslie Fink, MS, RD, answers questions about food, nutrition and weight loss.

Q: What is the best way to tackle a restaurant buffet?
Read the article below

A: Stop, look, and listen to your stomach!

In other words, don't take a morsel until you've looked over all of your options and determined which foods really appeal to you. This way, you're less likely to fill up your plate halfway through the buffet only to realize that a few of your favorite foods are at the other end of the table. Once you've eyed all of the goods, try the following tactics:

• Make sure not to arrive on a totally empty stomach. A little food in your belly should help squash uncontrollable temptations.
  
  
• Fill up your plate with a respectable amount of healthy foods: fresh vegetable sticks, lightly dressed salads, shrimp cocktail, freshly carved turkey breast, fruit.
  
  
• Then round out your plate with a few foods that you cannot, or would not, make for yourself but that you enjoy. For instance, would you like to have an ordinary baked potato and eat the whole thing, or would you rather splurge on a few spoonfuls of praline-topped mashed sweet potatoes?
  
  
• Sit and digest for 10 minutes before you go back for round two. It takes a while for your body to know it's full.
  
  
• Scratch the I-must-eat-my-money's-worth attitude. Yes, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet, but if you go overboard, the physical (and for some, the emotional) cost of going off your plan can be costlier than the value of any uneaten food.
  
  
• Consider ordering à la carte. Although your meal may end up costing as much as—or even more than—the buffet, you're paying a premium for built-in portion control.
  
  
• If sweets are your weakness, plan for them in advance with smart planning and by engaging in extra physical activity. Pick out your favorite dessert or two, but make sure to cut each item in half at the buffet table, or ask the server to slice it smaller for you—mega pieces of cake often lurk at buffet tables.

The Healthy Vacation Guide

Vacation season is here! You deserve a break, after spending the last few months becoming a fitter, healthier you, right? While vacation is a time to relax and take a break from work, stress, and the usual routine, it shouldn’t be a break from your healthy habits.

With a little planning, you can enjoy your vacation and still maintain your current weight and fitness level. Whatever your plans – a family road trip, a tropical cruise, a sightseeing tour, or relaxing on the beach – you can avoid packing on those dreaded vacation pounds by packing some healthy foods and workout gear instead.

Roadies, Frequent Flyers, Cruise Control. Whatever your summer travel plans involve, read THIS SPARKPEOPLE ARTICLE for tips tailored to your travel style.

Being healthy is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. So, follow these tips to return home with plenty of memories and souvenirs, not extra pounds.

Healthier Ways to Eat Dessert

Smart Substitution: Dessert

-- By Liz Noelcke, SparkPeople Contributor Read her article HERE.

You can still eat dessert-- and enjoy it! Learn some smart substitutions to make your dessert a healthy part of your day.
Try:

• Low fat cookie
• Frozen 100% juice bar
• Fresh berries with low fat creamer
• A few pieces of chocolate
• Frozen grapes
• Angel food cake
• Pudding made with skim milk
• Non-dairy frozen dessert
• Low fat ice cream or sorbet
• Pieces of fruit
• A fresh fruit smoothie

Manage the Munchies with This TV Trick

By RealAge

You might be able to switch off food cravings just by pressing this button: "Mute."

Yep, just press the mute button on your remote control anytime a commercial comes on. Studies suggest that TV shows loaded with food advertisements could be a recipe for gaining weight.

Top 10 Rules for Eating Right

By David L. Katz, MD

O, The Oprah Magazine | July 14, 2009

1. Use smaller plates.
Whether you're already trim or trying to lose weight, one of the best things you can do for your waistline and your health is to downsize your dishware. Cornell University nutrition researcher Brian Wansink, PhD, has found that switching from a 12-inch to a ten-inch plate leads people to eat 22 percent fewer calories. If you downsized only your dinner plate, you'd be eliminating more than 5,000 calories a month from your diet. It really is that simple.

2. Make half of every meal fruits or vegetables.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends five to nine servings of produce a day, but if you follow my rule, you won't have to count. At breakfast, fill your bowl halfway with cereal, then top it off with berries or sliced banana. At lunch, eat a smaller—or half—sandwich, and add two pieces of fruit. At dinner, make sure your plate is at least 50 percent salad, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, or whatever veggie you choose. This ensures that you get enough nutrients and automatically reduces the amount of fat and calories you consume (provided you don't go crazy with fatty dressings and toppings).

3. Don't eat on the run.
When we eat on the go, our brains tend to register the food as a snack—regardless of how many calories we consume—leading us to overeat at our next meal.

4. The shorter the ingredient list, the better.
Most of the healthiest foods have only one ingredient: Think broccoli, spinach, blueberries, etc. Longer lists generally mean more sugar, more salt, more artificial flavors. More unhealthy stuff.

For the last 6 rules, Click HERE to read the full article.

Hungry? Eat an apple.

Make this your rule of thumb: If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry.

I read this today in a magazine and thought that is a good thing to do.

More Fiber-Rich Tips

* Choose fresh fruit and/or vegetables over juice.
* To get more fiber and nutrients, eat the skin of cleaned fruits and vegetables.
* Include bran and whole grain breads daily.
* Drink more water to accommodate your increased fiber intake to reduce indigestion.
* Eat less processed foods and more whole foods.
* Try to meet your fiber requirements with foods rather than supplements.
* A large increase in fiber over a short period of time could result in bloating, diarrhea, gas, and all-around discomfort. It is better to add fiber to your diet gradually over a recommended period of about three weeks, to avoid abdominal problems.

Delicious Ways to Boost Fiber Intake

It's Easier (and Tastier) Than You Think!
-- By Christine Seymour, Health & Fitness Writer
for Sparkpeople
(I've cut out some of the highlights from this article, in case you're like me and like to "get to the point":) but there is more good info. in the linked article.)
Replace your white bread with whole wheat bread. Look for the words "whole wheat" at the top of the ingredients list...
Leave the sugary cereals on the shelves.
Whole grain cereals and bran flakes are usually jam-packed with fiber—about 5 grams in one ¾ cup serving!
Pass the beans, please.
Beans and legumes are always a healthy choice, usually containing 6-7 grams of fiber per ½ cup serving (cooked).
Sweeten with fruit; add volume with vegetables.One cup of fresh red raspberries holds a whopping 8 grams of fiber and blackberries are close behind at about 7.5 grams. Acorn squash (1/2 cup baked) and artichoke hearts (1/2 cup cooked) provide about 4.5 grams of fiber, and a baked potato (with the skin) comes in at just fewer than 4 grams. Get 2 grams of fiber in a serving of broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, carrots, green beans, spinach, lettuce, or tomatoes.

Boost your Vegetable's Vitamin Power

Sparkpeople had a great article on fruits and vegetables recently.

* It’s true that vitamins break down in heat and air. The longer and hotter you cook something, the more nutrients you lose. But there are simple, easy ways to avoid major vitamin loss when preparing fruits and vegetables. The most obvious, of course, is to eat raw fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
* Cook only until crisp and tender. Otherwise known as al dente, a crisper vegetable or fruit will retain more nutrients than a mushy one. A good way to achieve this is steaming rather than boiling your food.
* Use as little water as possible while cooking. This reduces the dissolving action of vitamins.
* Use big pieces rather than small, cut-up pieces. Minimizing the surface area of each piece prevents loss of vitamins when exposed to air.
* Cover your pots during cooking to contain steam and heat. This helps reduce cooking time and therefore saves nutrients.
* The water you’ve used for cooking vegetables can be reused in soups, sauces, stews or vegetable juices. This is a way to get the benefit of residual vitamins.