Answers

     Yesterday I posed some snack options and asked you to decide which one was healthier than the other.  Here are the answers provided by Dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick:

Soda vs. Slushie

The nutritional value of a cherry-flavored slushie is virtually identical to cola.  Each drink had about 3 1/2 grams of sugar and 13 calories per ounce.  But considering how much ice comes with a typical fountain soda, you're likely to consume fewer ounces of cola from a small cup than you would a slushie.

The Winner:  Soda (barely)

Popcorn vs. Pretzel Bites

Even a small bag of theater popcorn can have almost 500 calories and 27 grams of fat--and that's before any butter topping!  An order of pretzel bites contains about 420 calories but just 1 1/2 grams of fat (provided you skip the cheese, which adds an extra 110 calories and 8 grams of fat.).  If you can stick to five to seven pretzel bites, you're better off.

The Winner: Pretzel Bites

Reese's Pieces vs. Peanut M & M's

You'll get protein from either choice: Reese's Pieces have 15 grams per 4-ounce box compared with 10 grams in a 3 1/2 ounce box of Peanut M & M's.  But Peanut M & M's have about 16 % less sugar than Reese's Pieces.

The Winner: Peanut M & M's

Hot Dog vs. Nachos

A serving of theater nachos can have up to 550 calories, 30 grams of fat and a whopping 1,060 milligrams of sodium.  (One chain listed their nachos at 1,390 calories!)  A typical theater hot dog has about 240 calories 22 grams of fat and 620 milligrams of sodium, so it the lesser evil.

The Winner: Hot Dog

Raisinets vs. Milk Duds

You might think that Raisinets are the better choice because they contain raisins, but you get only about 2 grams of fiber per 3 1/3 ounce box.  A 3-ounce box of Milk Duds has 54 % fewer calories, 12 1/2 % less fat and 30% less sugar than the chocolate-covered raisins.

The Winner:  Milk Duds