Luckily for us, the FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration), regulates how our food is labeled with specific guidelines for manufacturers. Learning how to recognize the difference between juices made from 100% fruit juice and those that are only made from 50% fruit juice can make a world of difference in the amount of sugars you and your family consume. Choosing the right products are half the battle in implementing a low fat, heart healthy diet for lowering Cholesterol or weight loss.
Juice—manufacturers can be pretty sneaky when it comes to the labeling of juices and soft drinks. Next time you are in the supermarket notice that some drinks will be call juice, soft drinks, drinks etc. This is because for a drink to be labeled as juice it has to contain a certain amount of actual fruit juice. The easiest way to be sure that you are buying 100% fruit juice is to check the ingredients. 100% apple juice should contain only apple juice and water. If it has sugar as a first ingredient, it is not real 100% apple juice.

Jams—jellies, jams, marmalade, etc, they may all seem the same, but they are actually made through different preservation processes that require the use of sugars and honey among other not so healthy ingredients. If you want to buy the most pure jam that is made from just 100% fruit, look for jam that has “no sugar added” on the label. But once again, the only way to be sure about what’s in your food is to check the ingredients. Sugar should not be first on the list.

Popsicles—Most popsicles may be fruit flavored, but may actually contain no fruit at all. Popsicles made from real fruit will usually pronounce this in big letters on the packaging. If it doesn’t claim to be made from real fruit, you can bet it does not even contain any fruit at all. So read your ingredients, and make your choice accordingly!

Here are some easy ways to cut fat from your diet by using these easy substitutes for oil, margarine, or butter:

• Use cooking spray – When sautéing, use a light spritz of cooking spray rather than adding oil to your frying pan. If the crispness of the vegetables (for example) doesn’t really matter, than you can even cook them in a little bit of water and skip the oil/spray altogether.
• Use applesauce in baking – You can replace applesauce for oil or margarine in baking. This works great for making cake or brownies, but not so great for making cookies. In fact, once you’re using applesauce, which has in it natural sugar (never get the sweetened stuff), you can even cut some of the other sugar in your cake.
• Use plain yogurt in baking – This works just like applesauce above, but also adds a boost of calcium and protein.
• Use fruit puree in baking – mashed up bananas, apples, pears, or other fruits can also replace oil in baking. If you’re afraid it may alter the taste/consistency too much, considering replacing out only half of the amount—you’ll still be cutting fat, just not as much.
• Soja milk or milk – Replace half of the oil in a recipe for soymilk or low fat/skim milk.
• Use dark chocolate – Dark chocolate (at least high quality dark chocolate) contains less fat, less calories, and less sugar than milk chocolate (at least low quality milk chocolate).
• Buy low fat margarine and butters – There are a number of brands of low fat or fat free margarine or butter replacements. They don’t work perfectly with baking or sauteing, but if you’re not picky, they may do the trick adequately.

1.      Arnold Sandwich Thins: The truth is, if you’re going to just have a plain turkey sandwich (or tuna, or whatever), then two slices of most other breads won’t bring you too much higher than 100 calories. What these round, flat, bun-like slices are good for, are burgers—hamburgers, chicken patties, salmon croquets, or veggie burgers. They’re shaped in a way that the top and bottom slices create a bun-like enclosure around your burger and you get all of the convenience and flavor of a bun, without all the extra, unnecessary breadiness of a bun. They are, of course, also tasty for regular pb&j. The Thins contain 100 calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of dietary fiber, and 4 grams of protein.

2.      Thomas’ Bagel Thins: You can say the same thing about these Bagel Thins as you can about shaving down the extra breadiness of a hamburger bun. You can have your lox and cream cheese on a bagel thin and get all the satisfaction of having some shmear on bread without loading your belly down with a 240 calorie bagel. The Bagel Thins contain 110 calories each, 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of dietary fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

3.      Vitalicious Muffin Tops: Here’s your perfect on-the-go dessert, snack you leave in your purse, lunchtime surprise for your kid, and nosh for your very hungry one-year-old. They come in tons of flavors—banana nut, golden corn, chocolate fig, raisin bran, cran-bran, etc.—and can be eaten hot, cold, or anywhere in between. You can even spread peanut butter, cream cheese, or jam for a more substantial snack. And best of all, they’re each only 100 calories and offer a hefty serving of vitamins, minerals, iron, and fiber.

•    Applesauce – This is a great oil substitute when it comes to baking. Try using it in muffins and cake batter. It will give a slightly sweeter taste than oil, so you may need to take out some of the sugar from the recipe to make sure that you aren’t making the cake too sweet. Which, let’s face it, is good for you too!

•    Bananas – Mashed up, bananas can make an excellent oil substitute. Use them when you bake bread, or for muffin mixtures.

•    Olive oil – Olive oil is the healthiest of all the oils. If possible, substitute it for other oils. Remember that it has a strong flavor and so probably shouldn’t be used for baking – unless you want your brownies with an olive flavoring.

•    Cooking spray – This is a can of oil, which works like an aerosol. This means that you reduce the amount of oil you use when greasing pans. Cooking spray can be expensive, but there are some home stores that sell a refillable bottle which will allow you to do the same thing but reuse the bottle and fill it up with whichever oil your recipe calls for.

Reducing the amount of oil you ingest can have a big effect on your diet. Particularly if you are taking some of the more popular diet pills, such as Ali or Xenical, in which case you need to be particularly careful about how many grams of fat you ingest daily.

The health benefits of tuna:

•    Tuna can help prevent cancer. The fat from tuna has been known to reduce the risk of kidney cancer and breast cancer.
•    Studies show that people who consume high amounts of fish cut their risk of getting Alzheimer’s or dementia later in life.
•    Tuna is low fat. Both light and chunk white varieties are low in calories and low in fat.
•    Tuna is high in protein. Very high.
•    Bye bye Cardizem and Benicar! Tuna can help reduce high blood pressure. The omega-3 fatty acids in tuna are great for lowering blood pressure. In fact, they’re great for heart health in general.
•    Worried about your eyesight? A pack of tuna a day can help reduce the risk of age related macular degeneration.

The convenience of tuna packs:

•    The packs are filled with fully drained tuna. So whether you’re at home or on the go, you don’t need to worry about spilling out the smelly tuna juice.
•    No can opener necessary.
•    When you’re done, the packs take up less room in your garbage can.
•    You can mix low fat mayo and veggies straight into the pouch for a no-mess tuna salad.
•    The packs are flat and are more lightweight than the cans. So you can pack them up for long trips, keep one in your purse, or send one along with your kids’ school lunch.
•    The packs come in a variety of flavors and styles. You can get light or chunk white tuna, or tuna fillets in delicious flavors like lemon pepper or mesquite BBQ.

Beat eggs with applesauce. Add sugar, zucchini, carrot, and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix flour, bran, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Mix. Pour into two loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1-1½ hours.
Enjoy your low fat cake!

My Glenny Soy Crisp story began when I came upon these in a neighborhood store, and decided to try them, not paying any attention to the ingredients or the nutrition info.  I popped one in my mouth and was literally floored: they were amazingly yummy.  So much, that I ate the whole 3 oz. bag.  But here’s the thing: you don’t need to feel guilty and this is why:  the whole bag contains 3 grams of fat and 170 cal.  So, I have purchased bag after bag since and the barbecue flavor easily surpasses in flavor my favorite BBQ potato chips and of course, I don’t have to hit the gym for hours to burn it off.   These chips help curb my snack attack because they are loaded with protein and little to no fat.

What’s more, eating a few small healthy snacks between meals helps with weight loss by keeping cravings down plus if your meals are not perfectly balanced, snacks can help you meet healthful guidelines for calcium and protein intake.  Studies have even shown that eating several small meals a day instead of three large ones is better for your health and helps your weight loss by keeping your metabolism revved up.  You know you can’t beat that.  Plus now the FDA recommends 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. Increasing the amount of soy in your diet is easy to achieve with Glenny’s snacks. One serving contains 9g Pure Non-GMO Soy Protein, which is more soy protein than tofu or soy milk.   Finally, 100 Calorie Glenny’s snacks let you control your portion sizes and properly count your calories so you can stay fit and slim.

Fat Free Pringles Light Original Potato Crisps, are a true delight.  And for that matter, so are the Sour Cream and Onion, and Barbeque flavors as well.  The snack is tasty and not too salty and overall impressive considering its lack of fat. They taste very crispy, light and they are indeed as addictive as original Pringles are.  It makes an excellent fat free snack with 50 % fewer calories than regular potato chips.  Though you can tell that the fat is missing from this product, but it still is very tasty. The canister is sealed for freshness and these crisps are whole and not crushed.  The packaging is also a classic that I just love buying.

Of course, these snacks are made with Olestra, a special brand of fat free cooking oil with no cholesterol!  But I am sure that many of you are thinking: wait, what about the oily discharge (or better yet, diarrhea) that so many people have reported after eating it?   The truth is that after eating half a box, I just had some excess gas and nothing more.  Totally bearable and worth it to not gain weight after eating half a box!  However, it is twice the price of regular Pringles.  But you cant have it all, now can you?  Enjoy your munchies.  I know that I did and will again soon!

Yes, Nabisco now offers several of its yummy traditional snacks in smaller, sweetly portioned servings called 100 Calorie Packs. The line includes: Wheat Thins, Cheez-Nips, Honey Maid Graham Crackers, and Chips Ahoy Cookies, to name a few.  The packs average about 3 grams of fat and are a great alternative to junk foods.  They are also perfect for dropping in your briefcase, or carry-on for a satisfying snack.
Though I love most of the 100 calorie snacks, the Oreos are lacking the creamy white center.  One of my faves by far is the Lorna Doone Shortbread pack which offers 18 miniaturized versions of Nabisco’s traditional shortbread biscuit.  I love the crunchy and smooth buttery taste with ice cream or with a dab of strawberry jam.  Excellent. The 100 calorie packs Ritz toasted chips “minis” are also quite good and quite a few crackers come in that snack-sized bag.  These guys are great fit for lunch boxes or a briefcase.  The Cheez Nips are also yummy broken up over a green salad for a cheesy, croutony lunch treat.  But I am a cheese fanatic, so perhaps a bit biased too.
Many have no trans fats and no cholesterol.  For those all-natural freaks: you already know that these snacks do contain artificial colors and flavors too.  But what I like about these treats is that we are allowed to snack again, guilt free! Imagine that.