Permission To Eat A Fudgsicle

(image courtesy of amazon.com)

We recently acquired this book in our ongoing pursuit of bettering our health. Mr.Zinczenko has authored a series of these books - including eating out guidelines. This book doesn't make your feel bad about what you eat, just how to choose wisely between brands and why. Easy to read, easy to use, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy, especially if you want to drop 5 or 10 lbs without changing the type of food you eat.

If you're going to eat a sugar cereal, isn't it good to know if Reese's Puffs has double the sugar and calories of Honeycomb cereal? (It does. One cup of Reese's Puffs also has 20% more sugar than one peanut butter cup.)

What are some of the worst foods? Say hello to Twix. It's off the charts for sugars and saturated fats. It's the equivalent to eating 11 strips of bacon. (Yes, you'd actually come out ahead by eating 10 strips of bacon - uh, ew.)

#1 worst food: Marie Callender's Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie - over 1000 calories, 64 g of fat, it's darn near a salt lick in a pie crust. It's the equivalent of eating 23 strips of bacon. Geez, maybe I should just eat 2 Twix bars and enjoy a sugar coma instead.

One of the most perfect foods? An apple. Great for an afternoon snack: it increases energy, great for your heart, has soluble fiber and helps control your cholesterol. No wonder Snow White was tempted.

Throw a red bell pepper in your salad and you'll receive 3x the vitamin C in an orange. Plus it's chock full of vitamin A - which is good for your eyes. Who really wants to be on friendly terms with the words "macular degeneration" anyway?

If you enjoy beef, this book tells you the best protein-to-fat ratios in different cuts. Go for flank steak over lean ground or top loin over a porterhouse. The calories will come from either protein or fat, may as well choose protein. You may even see a few pounds drop off. I've seen results from increasing protein intake...

Since I have to watch my sugar levels, I've increased my protein substantially - and without trying - lost 5 lbs. My body was holding on to all the carb sugars because it didn't have what it needed most (protein for muscle building).

Page after page shows pictures of your favorite foods from the grocery store. Some good, some deceiving. My beloved Stoneyfield Farms yogurt got low marks due to unnecessary sugar overloading.

Snack foods, canned foods, frozen foods... they're all covered (Chewy Chips Ahoy over Oreo's). It's a handy guide to eating better with low effort. Sort of a no-thinking diet.

And yes, there is freedom in your fudgsicle craving... only 100 calories and only 2 1/2 g of fat. Permission granted ;)