Are you a savvy snacker? Snacks can be a health plus or an eating disaster. How much do you know about the snacks you choose? That's the topic of my TODAY Show segment with Hoda Kotb and guest co-host Donny Deutsch (Kathy Lee is away this week). Take this quiz, and see if you need to revise your own snacking habits......

QUESTION 1. Does a 1 ounce serving of almonds (about 24 nuts) contain MORE or LESS than 12 grams of fat?

QUESTION 2.  When comparing the calories in baked potato chips to those in regular potato chips, do the regular potato chips have 30%, 50%, or 100% more calories than the baked version?

QUESTION 3. Soups can be a great snack, but how much sodium (salt) is in a bowl of tomato soup? Is it 450 mg, 650 mg or 850 mg  10 ounce serving?

QUESTION 4. We all love dips, so try to rank the calories in these different dips, ranking from lowest to highest calories:  hummus, guacamole, salsa, light ranch dip.

QUESTION 5. For frozen treats, we're comparing a one cup serving of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt with Cherry Garcia ice cream. How many calories, per one cup servings, do you save when choosing the frozen yogurt instead of the ice cream - is it 80, 120, or 160 calories?

QUESTION 6. Another related question to the yogurt versus ice cream switch. How much fat did we save by opting for the frozen yogurt, instead of the ice cream - is it equivalent to 5, 8, or 11 fudgescicles?

QUESTION 7. Here's one about fruit. Rank these four fruits from lowest to highest calories per serving. 1 cup of grapes; 10 dried apple slices; 1 peach; 3 dried plums (prunes).

CONTINUE READING FOR THE ANSWERS

 

Tired of wasting money and extra calories on purchased lunch? Too tired to pack a lunch for yourself - and maybe for your kids as well - in the morning? If so, read on, to get some easy ideas for packed-from-home lunches that do double duty for you and your children! That's the topic of my Today Show segment with Ann Curry.

Here are a few ideas that work for me, and many people I know......what about you? What kinds of "desktop lunches" have you tried?

(1) Bento Box for Lunch.: This is a really great idea. Maybe you've enjoyed a bento box in a sushi restaurant - with multiple small compartments of different foods. This bento box is a plastic container, divided into four compartments. Available from www.laptoplunches.com, you can fill your bento box with a half sandwich, grapes, celery and carrot sticks, and a handful of mini-graham cracker pieces. Low fat milk drinkable yogurt, or a bottle of water complete your meal.

(2) Leftovers Make a Comeback: One of my favorite things to do with a leftover rotisserie chicken is to make tortilla roll-ups. Start with a small whole wheat tortilla, spread with some cooked chicken, shredded 2% cheddar cheese, chunky salsa, and shredded lettuce, and roll up. Want to save calories? Replace the tortilla with a giant romaine leaf. Add some home-made trail mix and a fruit of your choice.

(3) Double Your Recipe: Making a pot of chili, vegetable, or other heary soup? Double the recipe and save for some tasty lunches. Make it a "soup and salad" lunch with a half pita filled with mixed greens. Add a fruit to round out the meal.

(4) PB and ???:: Who doesn't love peanut butter and jelly? Doll it up for your children by cutting this plain Jane sandwich into fun shapes with a cookie cutter (you might like it too!). Use all-fruit preserves, or try a sliced banana, instead., You might experiment with different nut butters - like almond or cashew. Stick for 100% whole wheat bread or wraps for optimal fiber intake. Combine with a sugar-free, low or non-fat yogurt, plus a 100 calorie bag of chips or cookies is an oldie but goodie for adults and kids alike.

Your Drink Tank: When it comes to drinks, think milk - low or non-fat. Both adults and kids need the calcium and vitamin D. Drinkable yogurt is also a good choice. Water is a good option, with dry powder sachets (like Crystal Light and Propel) can be added directy to water for a change of taste. Forget about soda or juice - but if you (or your child) just can't give up juices, try low-sugar juices fortified with calcium (think Trop50 orange juice and Snapple light apple juice as well as many others).

Room for Dessert? That is a personal choice - while fruit IS nature's candy, you might like a "treat" - which is a good thing to prevent deprivation (which can lead to overeating later on in the day). Downsize your snacks - and stick with 100 calories or less. Whether it's cookies, pudding, candy, or chips - they all come in single-serving packages of 100 calories or less. Or, make your own single serving treats in mini-plastic bags.