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I honestly believe Calorie Bargains are the key to losing weight. For those who don't know, Calorie Bargains are foods that are relatively low in calories and taste great. You use these "cheaper" foods to replace others you eat regularly that are calorically more "expensive."
FIND YOUR OWN CALORIE BARGAINS
Step 1: Think of a food you typically eat. It might be a guilty pleasure or a high-calorie food worth replacing — assuming you have a good substitute.
Step 2: Now think of a substitute for that food — something you think you might like, and it's got to have fewer calories.
Here are a few Calorie Bargains I've found, but remember, these are only good if you use them to replace foods already in your regular diet.
It isn't a traditional bagel, but for what it is, it is pretty amazing. My family loved all the flavors, and our favorite was Sweet Wheat, which has 1 more gram of protein and fiber than the others. To keep them low in calories, Western Bagel displaced flour with a combination of oat fiber, inulin (fiber/bulking agent) and wheat starch, which helped reduce the carbs and increase the dietary fiber. Flavors: Cinnamon Spice, Sweet Wheat, Country White, Roasted Onion and Very Blueberry. Available at www.westernbagel.com, $3.50 per bag.
My favorites are the Everything. They're low-calorie and low in fat — no trans or saturated — and are a tasty alternative to potato chips (150 calories per ounce). Available at supermarkets or at www.snackaisle.com.
From the company that makes those amazing low-cal potato chips comes another new product. They are baked, not fried, low in fat — no trans or saturated fat — are made with organic flour and are all-natural with no "extra stuff," as the company states. Flavors include: Original, Fully Loaded (110 calories) and Honey Dijon. www.kettlefoods.com.
These dressings are quite the discovery for those who dump dressing on salads thinking that they're making a healthful choice. The new spray bottle lets you monitor the amount of dressing you put on. Also, this is not just their regular dressing — it's a lower-calorie version, for which 1 tablespoon (about 20 sprays) contains 20 calories, while 1 tablespoon of regular dressing has 35 to 40 calories. Flavors: Balsamic Breeze Vinaigrette, Italian Vinaigrette and Red Wine Mist Vinaigrette.
I've always been fond of these treats. Until now they were available only in vanilla and chocolate. Kraft finally came out with new flavors; the most notable is Creamy Caramel. It's sugar-free and has only 60 calories per individual cup.
If you enjoy energy bars or you're looking to replace your daily candy bar, consider Balance Bar's new 100-calorie version. I was expecting it to be tiny, but was surprised at the size — and the taste. There is also the added bonus of calcium, protein and 5 grams of fiber. Flavors: Chocolate Caramel Crisp, Vanilla Caramel Crisp and Peanut Butter Crisp. www.balance.com.
Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks — Chocolate and Caramel Corn (7 mini-cakes: 60 calories, 1g fat, 13g carbs, 1g protein)
I loved both the chocolate and caramel corn — they taste amazing and are a much better deal than chips. You get seven mini-cakes for only 60 calories. The best part about these rice cakes is you don't feel deprived, and they don't taste like you're eating something low-calorie. www.quakerricesnacks.com.
PHILLYSWIRLS
I've known about these great treats for years, but they weren't available nationwide until now. The Stix are formulated just like ice cream, which improves the taste. Flavors include Vanilla Cream, Raspberry, Strawberry, Orange and Cherry Sorbet. And they're peanut/tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free and gluten-free.
The Fudge Swirl Stix are my favorites, even though they're a bit higher in calories, but at 57 per serving, they're still low enough to be a Calorie Bargain. They're available at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart stores as well as other supermarkets. www.phillyswirl.com.
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.
