Should you ban these treats?

NO! These treats have their place in a healthy diet.

BUT… Desserts, snacks and commercial bakery products are popular choices to curb a craving for food during the afternoon or at the end of a meal. However, because most of these foods contain significant amounts of fat (often unhealthy fat!) and sugar, they are calorie-rich.

SO?Uncontrolled consumption of these treats is weight control‘s worst enemy! Moreover, they increase blood lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides levels) and influence the blood sugar level in diabetics, depending on how much is eaten and how often.

THUS...The key here is moderation!

Beware of food traps!

Let’s compare…

FOOD ITEMS Teaspoons of fat

Teaspoons of sugar

Calories

1 apple 0 3 70

4 plain biscuits 0.5 3 90

2 chocolate chip cookies

1 3 130

1 granola bar 1 5 140

½ cup ice cream 2 4 150

1 oatmeal cookie 2 5 195

1 glazed donut 3 6 270

1/8 apple pie 3 8 300

1 chocolate bun 4 7 330

1 commercial muffin 5 12 370

A few tips on enjoying treats:

• It takes only a few minutes to prepare homemade products, such as muffins and breads (banana, carrot) which come in handy at breakfast, meal time or as a snack.

• Use only half the amount of sugar called for in the recipe.

• Substitute an equal amount of non-hydrogenated margarine for butter or fat.

• Homemade apple or berry crisps and fruit sauces are everyone’s favourites!

• Serve angel food cake with a fruit coulis.

• Choose homemade sherbet, frozen yogurt or a soy dessert.

Tool #13 Watch out for these food traps

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If I am being provided with this document, it is because I fall for some of the following treats:

• Bakery products such as donuts, buns, croissants, commercial muffins and pastries• Snack foods or desserts such as granola bars or cereal bars, cookies, ice cream, chocolate, cakes, pies, etc…

Equivalent to

Cereal bars - Some good choices*:

• LeclercTM Vital Granola Bars • LeclercTM Essensia Whole Grain Cereal Bars• LeclercTM Essensia Whole Grain Muffin Bars• Val NatureTM Trail Mix Granola Bars (fruit and nuts) • Val NatureTM Fibre Source Granola Bars• QuakerTM Granola Bars 25% Less Sugar • QuakerTM Muffin Bars (Oats and Banana, Blueberry)• Kellogg’sTM All-Bran Cereal Bars • Kellogg’sTM Raisin Bran Cereal Bars

Cookies - Some good choices:

• PC Blue MenuTM Cookies (Ginger and Lemon, Cranberry and Orange, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip) • LeclercTM Praeventia Cookies (Chocolate Chip, Date, Strawberry and Vanilla, Fruit Harvest), • DareTM Sun-Maid Raisin and Oats Cookies, • LeclercTM Vital Cookies (Whole Oats and Cranberry, Oats and Dark Chocolate, Oat Bran and Almond, Oat Bran Apple & Raisin), • VoortmanTM Turnovers (Blueberry, Strawberry, Apple, Cherry)• Dad’sTM Oatmeal • ViauTM Goglu • ChristieTM HoneyMaid Graham Wafers • Petit Beurre, different brands• DareTM Simple Pleasures (Almond, Chocolate, Cinnamon or Spice Crisps, Maple Crisps, Lemon Social Tea) • Social Tea, different brands• ViauTMVillage

* Sources of fibre

simple tips when choosing a commercial dessert or a dessert recipe:

• Less than 35 g of carbohydrates per serving• Less than 7 g of lipids per serving• ≤ 2 g saturated and trans fat per serving• Choose non-hydrogenated margarine or vegetable oil. Review the list of ingredients.

Cereal Bars and Granola Bars:How to choose among them

Bars and Cookies Choose Check Nutrition Facts Table for

Cereal • Low in saturated and trans fat• Good source of fibre

Per bar:• ≤ 2 g saturated and trans fat• ≥ 2 g fibre

Cookies • Low in saturated and trans fat• Moderate quantity of fat and sugar

Per serving size (30 g):• ≤ 6 g lipids• ≤ 2 g saturated and trans fat• ≤ 12 g sugar

Don’t forget to check the serving size

Lipids: total quantity of fatSaturated + trans fat (unhealthy fat): the quantity of these fats is included in the total quantity of lipids

Carbohydrates: total quantity of sugar, including starch, fibre, added sugar or natural sugar

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© Institut de recherches cliniques de MontréalWriting: Chantal Blais, DtP, Émilie Raymond, DtP, Julie St-Jean, DtP, DietitiansGraphic Design: Hélène Lambin, PhDPhotography: gettyimages.com

< : equal than or equal to> : greater than or equal to

Nutrition FactsPer 125 ml (87 g)

Amount % Daily Value

Calories 80

Lipids 0.5 g 1%

Saturated 0 g 0%

+ Trans 0 g

Cholesterol 0 mg

Sodium 0 mg 0%

Carbohydrates 18 g 6%

Fibre 2 g 8%

Sugars 2 g

Protein 3 g

Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 10%

Calcium 0% Iron 2%