4 Guilt-Free Treats
By Joanne Eglash
Reprinted from eDiets

Ever since my mother described Brussels sprouts as "good and good for you," I've been a skeptic when it comes to health and diet food claims. And, I still hate Brussels sprouts.

However, in the role of intrepid food journalist, I bravely ventured forth up and down the health and diet food aisles of the grocery stores, determined to scout out products that lived up to such claims as "low in calories and carbs but big in rich, creamy taste."

The bad news: there are a lot of foods that resemble sawdust in flavor and texture. The good news: there are a select few that taste so blissful that you'll keep checking the nutrition label to make sure that they're really low in calories and carbs! And, now, (drum-roll please) Joanne's Tasteful Taste Buds Trophy goes to:

· GG Bran Crispbread. Big in fiber and taste, low in calories and carbs. These crunchy, munchy, just-sweet-enough crackers are perfect answer to those cravings for croutons on your salad or saltines with your soup -- and about a million times healthier! I also like them dunked in Walden Farms chocolate dip and frozen. They taste like chocolate-covered graham crackers, but they're guilt-free. One thick slice of Crispbread contains just 16 calories, but it gives you 3 grams of fiber. For details on where to buy, go to www.brancrispbread.com.

· Walden Farms Calorie Free Chocolate Dip and Marshmallow Dip. Sugar-free, carb-free, calorie-free, but definitely not free of good taste. Try dunking some fresh fruit into one of the dips (two tablespoons equals one serving, so you may want to measure out a serving. Remember, the FDA guidelines say that if a product contains fewer than 5 calories per serving, it can be labeled as "calorie-free"). Available at health food stores and online in various low-carb shops

· No Pudge Fudge bars. The name says it all. Too cutesy for you? Then, just try a taste and you'll succumb to the flavor. These enormous, chocolatey ice cream bars contain only 60 calories and give you 6 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and low grams of fat and sugar! I have only one complaint: my local store keeps running out of them.

· Jello-O Sugar-Free, Reduced-Calorie Pudding Snacks. I just happened to notice these in the grocery store refrigerator section, right next to the temptingly fattening containers of full-fat, sugary puddings. Since they contain no sugar, with just 60 calories per cup of swirled chocolate and vanilla pudding, this snack sounded as if it would taste sort of, well, gluey. I happily confess that my prediction was wrong! They're creamy, rich, amazingly satisfying and good enough for me to volunteer to be the next Jello-O spokeswoman (as long as I get free pudding with my paycheck)!

Joanne Eglash has worked as a journalist for more than 15 years, specializing in health, fitness, diet/nutrition, lifestyles, careers and relationships. Among the publications and websites for which she has written are Shape magazine, Fit Pregnancy magazine, Working Mother magazine, KidsHealth.org, ePregnancy magazine, Every Baby magazine, Entrepreneur.com, the San Jose Mercury News, the Christian Science Monitor, Netsurfer Digest and more. She is the author of How to Write A .com Business Plan: The Internet Entrepreneur's Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Business Plans and Financing Options (McGraw-Hill).