Snackers Beware: Convenience Store Shocks & Swaps

Posted Wed, Jul 23, 2008, 7:20 am PDT

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Find yourself popping into convenience stores to grab a few snacks? Well, you should know that bazillions of calories and fat grams "conveniently" sneak their way into some of those foods... so watch out! Hungry Girl is here to save the day!

Full-Sugar Slurpees -- Why Do It?!

Shocker! A 28-oz. Slurpee from 7-Eleven is a silly way to throw down as many as 455 calories (depending on the flavor). And forget about the stats for Slurpees squished into those ginormous 40-oz. cups. EEEK!

HG Swap! If you want a large frozen fix, go with a 28-oz. Crystal Light Slurpee. That one has only around 120 calories (again, depending on the flavor). Or better yet, grab yourself a calorie-free fruity diet soda, like Coke Cherry Zero.

Inconvenient Sandwiches - Mayo Mayhem!

Shocker! Steer clear of the cellophane-wrapped stuff-in-between-bread offerings. Those pre-packaged lunches should be avoided like a convenience store bathroom (yeah, that harsh!). Even if you went with a turkey sandwich (which sounds healthy), you'd actually be the turkey if you ate it -- it typically contains around 550 calories and 26 grams of fat! Silliness! A tuna salad sandwich is even worse -- around 680 calories and FORTY grams of fat. The problem is these sandwiches are typically large, doughy (not to mention soggy!) rolls stacked with mayo, cheese, and all the other fatty stuff you should skip.

HG Swap! Need a protein fix? No prob! Just pop by the fridge and grab a mini-pack of lean lunch meats. Oscar Mayer's Lean Smoked White Honey Turkey, for example, has only 35 calories and 1.5g of fat per 1-oz. serving. So go ahead and eat a whole bunch. Shaved lean deli meats are another excellent option, since you get a lot of slices for your serving size!

Muffins -- Stop Pretending They're OK

Shocker! Thinking about grabbing a giant muffin for breakfast at your local convenience store? Ummm, it's SO not worth it, folks. Those blueberry muffins have around 465 calories and 11 grams of fat, a corn one has about 515 calories and 14g fat, and a banana nut muffin has nutritional stats that may actually drive you bananas (and not in a good way) -- around 600 calories and 30 grams of fat!

HG Swap! Go for a low-cal, high-fiber snack bar. Try to stick with one that has 200 calories or less, 6g fat or less, and at least 3g of fiber.

Other Stuff We Dig...

Need more ideas for on-the-go snacks? We'll rattle some off... jerky (beef or turkey), cut-up fruits and veggies, whole fruits, 100-calorie snack packs, fat-free yogurt (don't forget to grab a plastic spoon!), and light string cheese are some of our other go-to eats!

Hungry For More?

Check out Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World. The book's a New York Times Best Seller, and it's packed with 165 super-easy and delicious recipes, survival guides for eating out, and so much more!

For a daily dose of guilt-free tips, tricks, food finds, recipes and more, visit hungry-girl.com and sign up for free daily emails!

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219 Comments

1. Posted by Jeff D on Wed, Jul 23, 2008, 2:48 pm PDT

Great advise, go girl!
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2. Posted by kim.jfi_wall on Thu, Jul 24, 2008, 7:21 am PDT

not sure if this is where I should post this question but here it goes...i made the butternut squash fries for me & my husband last night and we LOVED them...however, how do I make them crispy? they were starting to burn so i took them out but they were a little soggy...I don't mind them that way but he prefers crispy...any suggestions? p.s. LOVE the BOOK!!!
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3. Posted by slimyslugz on Thu, Jul 24, 2008, 10:29 am PDT

Wow, really gald I read this!! Thanks for the info!
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4. Posted by orangekiss78 on Fri, Jul 25, 2008, 7:09 pm PDT

eeeekta! i loooove banana nut muffins i guess when i make them at home they must be less b/c i use skim milk, wheat flour, and splenda. So that is pretty good, now the slurpies i was thinking like 275 in the ballpark for calories and i like them as a special somethnsomethn treat i will hold back on the craving ice cream could be less!
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5. Posted by ClemsonKate on Sat, Jul 26, 2008, 10:43 am PDT

kim.jfi_wall, Try baking them slowly (as in at lower temperature for a longer time). Then, when they feel done, broil them for a little while (watch so they don't burn)
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6. Posted by ksw87 on Sat, Jul 26, 2008, 1:02 pm PDT

Here is another way for the crisp that I learned on a cooking show--and works great on those fries. Try boiling the butternut squash after you cut it into fries, but before you cook them. Put water in a pan and just put the unbaked fries into the warm water for a few minutes. This gets a little of the extra moisture out, and they turn out much better.
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7. Posted by Bonnie M on Sun, Jul 27, 2008, 12:12 pm PDT

Forget calories! The number one reason not to get a slurpee is the sugar content, because sugars metabolise as fat. Post the sugar content!
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8. Posted by silancedogz on Mon, Jul 28, 2008, 12:28 pm PDT

I have never seen the Crystal Light slurpees where I live. And please don't tell me to make it myself at home. I don't have a slurpee machine. And don't get on my case about aspartame. If it did cause cancer, I'd already be dead.
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9. Posted by kim.jfi_wall on Tue, Jul 29, 2008, 11:10 am PDT

hey, thanks for the tips for crispier squash fries..I'm going to try again tonight...they were too good to give up on! I'll keep ya's posted.
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10. Posted by skittles2320 on Wed, Jul 30, 2008, 6:11 am PDT

hi! thank you for the tips a ton!
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11. Posted by kim.jfi_wall on Wed, Jul 30, 2008, 12:09 pm PDT

well, I made the squash fries and used the lower heat/longer/broiler method and they came out great!!! Thanks again
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12. Posted by kim.jfi_wall on Wed, Jul 30, 2008, 12:09 pm PDT

well, I made the squash fries and used the lower heat/longer/broiler method and they came out great!!! Thanks again
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13. Posted by sueaj3 on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:15 am PDT

Word of Advice, just be careful on the '100-calorie snack packs'...yes they're good when compared to a regular candy bar, but some of the ways the manufacturers are able to compensate for the fat without losing taste is loading up on sugar or sodium content...check the labels!
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14. Posted by Puppy on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:19 am PDT

Your recommendations as to what's healthy? Yeah, it's definitely better than convenience store foods or fast (for that matter, any restaurant) food, but start taking a look at the blessed sodium content of this crap. With hypertension and heart disease being such a major health problem in the U.S., people need to be much more careful than just fat and calories.
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15. Posted by Puppy on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:28 am PDT

Another comment and/or question. I love squash, zucchini, summer, butternut, whatever. But I recently bought a bag of frozen zucchini and summer squash mix, and according to the nutrition label, it contains nothing. No vitamins, no fiber, not anything. Considering this even still has the peels on and zucchini is a dark green vege, how is that possible? Is it the processing that kills the nutrients?
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16. Posted by sam L on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:29 am PDT

Lisa Lillien, aka the "hungry girl" has this infactuation with fat-low fat. A low SUGAR-low CARB lifestyle has been shown to be MORE beneficial in losing and keeping weight off. (I refer to the Isreali study).
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17. Posted by Puppy on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:36 am PDT

Okay, a couple of minutes ago two posts showed up that showed the obvious deficienies in this diet. Why did they disappear?
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18. Posted by Puppy on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:36 am PDT

Okay, a couple of minutes ago two posts showed up that showed the obvious deficienies in this diet. Why did they disappear?
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19. Posted by Puppy on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:39 am PDT

sam L, thank you, you're correct with what you say, I've studied the Isreali study. But, fat isn't my major problem, sodium is. Lunch meat, as is recommended here, is out of the question for anyone who wants to limit sodium. And as I said, with hypertension and heart disease being major factors in this country, it should become everyone's concern. But nevertheless, you make a good and valid point. Obesity contributes to all these problems, not just sodium.
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20. Posted by mfdoom2 on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:41 am PDT

sounds like if people would just read the nutritional facts on the back for themselves hungry girl would be out of a job.
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21. Posted by lori h on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:49 am PDT

Don't forget most of the 100cal. items contain HFCS also. It's even hard to find breads that don't contain it. If they take out sugars they usually add more sodium.
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22. Posted by S W on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 10:53 am PDT

This is so stupid, as always. Use common sense...nothing common about it I guess.
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23. Posted by Joe G on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:05 am PDT

400-500 calories is not a lot for something you are eating as meal. Most people will need to eat well more than 1500 calories day unless you are a tiny woman who doesn't move all day.
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24. Posted by bearybig on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:06 am PDT

Duhuh! They are convenience stores, not your health food store. If people are that stupid to think they are getting anything but fast and easy then it's their fault. Shocker!
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25. Posted by bearybig on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:07 am PDT

Duhuh! They are convenience stores, not your health food store. If people are that stupid to think they are getting anything but fast and easy then it's their fault. Shocker!
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26. Posted by Oleg K on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:10 am PDT

What about the high sodium content of OM turkey?
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27. Posted by Jen on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:13 am PDT

I think there are lots of people forgetting that to stay at a healthy weight and be fit is to EXCERSIZE!! You can have these types of treats (within reason of course) along with a diet that consists of fruits, veggies, and whole grains...and don't forget your dairy and protien/iron. But as long as your daily consumption is a good amount of the good stuff and you excersize or move around a bit more than you think you are doing on a daily basis...you can have these junk foods from time to time...everyone's so scared of getting fat from doritos and slurpees, but most people don't seem to remember the best way to keep from getting fat is a generous amount of physical activity!!
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28. Posted by jthe_berge on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:18 am PDT

Why does the media and "health people" give mayo a bad rap. Best Foods or, Hellmans, depending on what side of the Rockies you live on. Has omega 3's in it. Most mayo is low in sat fat and has a bunch of monounsaturated fat which is GOOD for you! Soy, sunflower, and safflower are all used and are NOT bad for you. Let's do some research before we condemn something. So called health retards.
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29. Posted by Dani G on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:20 am PDT

I agree with those of you who are concerned about sodium. What you are not recognizing is that Hungry Girl is giving suggestions on what to get if you are in a pinch and need to grab something on the run. Convenience stores are not big on sodium free foods or even fresh! She is not saying gobble up all the liunch meat you can get every day!! The only good answer is "All things in Moderation". After losing 115 lbs. I have to watch what I eat and am glad to have HG reviews so I don't spend money on things that aren't good! I don't know about any of you but living my life with no treats ever doesn't seem like much of a life. I DO love her cook book and even my family likes the recipes. ROCK ON Hungry Girl!!!!!!!
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30. Posted by adam on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, 11:24 am PDT

as usual this is loaded with misleading facts . why not suggest grabbing a bananna or other fruit . how about raisins or nuts . most of these stores have fruit . instead of 28 oz slurpee why not suggest a smaller size . moderation people cutting off all your favorite foods and bevs is why people dont stick to their diets. if you use moderation you dont need to diet its just how you eat. humm i guess if ms HG ever said that ,she would have no job. stick to reciepes your advice IS USELESS!
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