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Margarita Or Mojito? Is There A Difference In Calories?

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Mid-August.  Time for vacation – and if not vacation, certainly some relaxing outdoor time, maybe with drink in hand.

Could a nice cold (or frozen) margarita or mojito be your drink of choice?  You might opt to go with the tequila, citrus, and salt flavors of a magarita or the rum, lime, and mint flavors of a mojito — but is there a caloric and alcoholic content difference (alcohol has 7 calories a gram) between the two?

Calories And Grams Of Alcohol In A Margarita And A Mojito

Remember to look at the serving size.  The stats given below are for 3.3 and 3.5 ounces – visualize the amount in a little more than two average sized (1.5 oz.) shot glasses.  A whole lot of drinks are served in much larger glasses.  They are the nutritional values for traditional margaritas and mojitos  — without embellishments.

  • Margarita (3.3 fluid oz. cocktail glass):   153 calories, 0g fat, 7g carbs, 4.3g sugars, 583 mg sodium, 0.2g protein, 17.7g alcohol
  • Mojito — without soda water or mint garnish (3.5 fluid oz. old fashioned glass):  149 calories, 0g fat, 5.8g carbs, 4.5g sugars, 1mg sodium, 0.1g protein, 17.9g alcohol

Peanut, Almond, Peanut Butter Or Plain M&M’s: Which Would You Choose?

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On a road trip?  Stuck in an airport?   Is a vending machine calling your name?

You’ve decided you need a snack.  Decision made:  it’s going to be candy – and it’s going to be M&M’s.  Afterall, M7M’s mean melt in your mouth, not in your hand – and who wants melted chocolate all over the steering wheel or suitcase or the mess of papers on your desk?

Why Were M&M’s Made?

M&M’s, around since 1941, were actually designed so people could enjoy their chocolate without it melting in their hands. Named after the inventors Forrest Mars and R. Bruce Murrie (haven’t you always wondered where  M&M came from?), they were introduced to GIs in World War II, flew into space in 1982, and have been part of space shuttle missions since then.

Choices, Choices

M&M’s now come in a whole bunch of varieties and seasonal colors.  But — when you’re staring at the array of colorful M&M packages, your hands itching to tear open the wrapper and pop some into your mouth, which would you choose:  plain, almond, or peanut, or peanut butter?

Of course the purists might say there is no choice other than plain.  But, since there are choices, are there some potentially redeeming nutritional benefits to adding nuts under the chocolate and candy coating?  Do some varieties have more protein or fewer calories or more fat?  Take a look at the nutritional information – maybe it’ll help you with your choice. (Note that the package weight of the different varieties is not identical but very close).

  • Plain milk chocolate M&M’s (1.69oz package):  240 calories, 10g fat (6 saturated), 34g total carbs, 1g fiber, 2g protein
  • Dark chocolate M&M’s (1.5oz package):  210 calories, 10g fat (6g saturated), 29g total carbs, 2g fiber, 2g protein
  • Peanut M&M’s (1.74oz package):  250 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated), 30g total carbs, 2g fiber, 5g protein
  • Almond M&M’s (1.5oz package):  220 calories, 12g fat (4g saturated), 25g total carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein
  • Peanut butter M&M’s 1.5oz package:  220 calories, 12g fat (4g saturated), 25g total carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein

What’s Your Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?

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I think hers is chocolate!

But, she’s not in the majority.

According to International Dairy Foods Association, here’s how the flavors rank along with the percentage of people preferring that flavor.

The top five individual flavors in the United States are:

  • Vanilla (27.8%)
  • Chocolate (14.3%)
  • Strawberry (3.3%)
  • Chocolate chip (3.3%)
  • Butter pecan (2.8%)

Another Big Reason To Up Your Daily (Soluble) Fiber

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Fat is fat.  Right??? Wrong!!!  It turns out that even though most of us hate the way it looks, the fat right under the skin, called subcutaneous fat, isn’t as dangerous as the fat deep in the belly, called visceral fat, that surrounds your organs.

A study, published in the journal Obesity, of 1,114 African Americans and Hispanic Americans — population groups disproportionally at higher risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes and for accumulating visceral fat — identified some simple ways to zero in on and reduce visceral fat. They are:

  • eat more vegetables high in soluble fiber
  • eat more fruit and beans
  • make sure you engage in moderate activity.

Why Is Visceral Fat So Dangerous?

According to the study’s lead researcher, “a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease.” The results of the study showed there can be a big health impact from making the few simple changes listed above.

The researchers found that visceral fat was reduced by 3.7% over five years for every 10 gram increase in soluble fiber the subjects ate per day. Over the same time period, an increase in moderate physical activity resulted in a 7.4% decrease in the rate of visceral fat accumulation. Interestingly, the increased intake of soluble fiber was associated with a decreased accumulated visceral fat but not with decreased subcutaneous fat.

What You Can Do

You can get 10 grams of soluble fiber from eating two small apples, one cup of green peas, and half a cup of pinto beans.  Moderate activity as defined in the study is exercising vigorously for 30 minutes, two to four times a week.

Although the evidence shows that eating more soluble fiber and increasing exercise reduces visceral or belly fat, researchers still don’t know why. That’s why a study like this is so important – it gives specific information on how dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, can affect abdominal fat deposits and weight.

Frosted Flakes: Do They Really Put A Tiger In Your Tank?

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I was having breakfast with a five year old who insisted on taking an individual box of Frosted Flakes from a display. Of course she would, the little box is designed to appeal to a child.

I’m not a cold cereal lover, but I have been known to grab a handful or two of those sugar coated flakes when they are sitting in front of me (without milk – it destroys the crunch).

Because I haven’t had a box of Frosted Flakes in front of me for a long time and I like to think of myself as an informed adult, I picked up the cute little royal blue box with Tony the Tiger on the front to read the nutrition and ingredients labels.

What a shocker.  I knew that Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes of Corn was not nutritionally stellar – but what a shock to read the front of the box hype and then to look at the labels.

Sugar Frosted Flakes

The cereal, first introduced in 1952 as Sugar Frosted Flakes, is described as sweet and crunchy and “packed with 10 essential vitamins and good-for-you grains that give you the great-tasting energy you need.”  The tagline reads: “It’s what fuels you up so you can play, prep and be your very best.”

Take a peek at the nutrition label.  Notice the amount of protein and fiber (or, essentially, lack of).  How much sugar is there? Look at the ingredients label.What are the first five ingredients?

My youngest son once ate an astonishing double digit number of little boxes of Frosted Flakes, without milk, at summer sleep-away camp – a story first told to me by his brothers and validated by the counselors.  Can you imagine what his behavior must have been like that day on a massive sugar overload from breakfast cereal? No wonder the camp changed its breakfast policy – and its breakfast foods!

Is it time to change your breakfast?