Not So Perfect Snacks. I Make the Case. All Snacks are not Alike!

May 9, 2018

Sumo Oranges or Cheetos? Which is the perfect snack?

In two recent YouTube videos, I made the case for what I call the perfect snacks. Sumo oranges and my favorite apple, the Fuji.

Today, I make the case for not so perfect snacks.

I’ll start with M & M Peanuts. Make no mistake about it, I love them! That said, a 1.7-ounce package has 250 calories, 13 gm of fat (5 gm of which are saturated), 25 gm of carbohydrates and who knows what else called out in the fine print?

Sweet ‘n Salty Mix is oh-so-good too, but a 2-ounce bag has 270 calories, 18 gm of fat (of which 5 gm is saturated), 27 gm of carbohydrates and, here’s some good news, 8 gm of protein. Of course, it’s artificially colored, contains corn syrup and is genetically engineered. Yikes!

Cheetos – cheese flavored corn meal in a bag! Like potato chips, you can’t eat just one! But wait! This small bag of Cheetos weighs 3 1/2 ounces, and fills you up with 560 calories – more than 25% of recommended daily caloric intake for most people. Eat one of these puppies on a regular basis and you’re sure to gain weight. In addition, there’s 10 gm of fat, 1.5 of which is saturated. And there’s 875 mg of sodium, 52 gm of carbohydrates and no vitamin D, calcium and very little potassium. Chuck this one, Baby!

Compare these to the incredibly delicious Sumo orange with 86 calories, no fat, no cholesterol zero sodium, 326 mg of potassium, 22 gm of carbohydrate, 4 gm of fiber and 2 gm of protein, as well as abundant vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.

A 4 ounce Fuji apple (skin and all), has but 70 calories, essentially no fat or sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrate, loads of dietary fiber as well as calcium and potassium, and like the Sumo orange, is delicious!

This is Dr. Jim for Be Healthy! Be Happy! eat Fuji’s and Sumo’s. Power your path to happiness!