Season's eating: a roundup of the holidays' best and worst Mom-made treats

[1] FUDGE (+)

1 oz; 122 cal, 1g protein, 4.5 g fat, 21g carbs One or two chunks is OK. Just try to stick to darker, richer--and therefore healthier--varieties. And remember, the more nuts per square, the better.

[2] CANDY CANES (+)

1 0.5-oz cane: 55 cal, 0 g protein, 0 g fat, 14 g carbs Mint relaxes muscles--including the stomach--making it the perfect post-binge treat. Plus, it freshens breath for chance mistletoe encounters.

[3] CHOCOLATE-COVERED PRETZELS (-)

1 oz: 130 cal, 2 g protein, 6 g fat, 20 g carbs Sure, they're low-fat, but covered in chocolate or not, pretzels are also pure carbs. Skip 'em.

[4] PEANUT BRITTLE (+)

1.5 oz: 206 cal, 3.2 g protein, 8 g fat, 30 g carbs Despite swimming in hardened sugar, these peanuts are still a source of "good" unsaturated oils.

[5] GINGERBREAD MEN (+)

1 man: 70 cal, 5 g protein, 3.5 g fat, 9 g carbs Ginger helps break down protein, aiding in digestion (which we know you'll need after any holiday bash).

[6] FROSTED SUGAR COOKIES (-)

1 cookie: 101 cal, 0.8 g protein, 6 g fat, 11 g carbs It hurts to say it, but try to avoid aiding on cookies shaped like Santa's head. More than half of their calories comes from the fat (butter) in the dough.

[7] RUGELACH (-)

1 rugelach: 128 cal, 1.3 g protein, 7.8 g fat, 14 g carbs Half fat--and almost all of it saturated? No wonder these Jewish treats melt in your mouth and then sit in your arteries for years. Oy vey!

[8] CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRIES (+)

1.5 oz: 180 cal, 2 g protein, 9 g fat, 26 g carbs Even after being dunked in chocolate, cherries are still a top source of disease-fighting antioxidants.

[9] ENGLISH TOFFEE (-)

0.42 oz: 65 cal, 0.1 g protein, 3.9 g fat, 8 g carbs You might as well chug eggnog--in even a tiny bit of English toffee, there's nothing your body needs.

[10] MACAROONS (-)

1 macaroon: 97 cal, 0.9 g protein, 3 g fat, 17g carbs These artery-clogging bombs are chock-full of saturated fat. Save 'em for your boss--especially if you were gypped out of a Christmas bonus.

- Naughty

+ Nice

ANDREA PLATZMAN, R.D.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning