ThinkThin Protein Bites, Best & Worst Pumpkin Lattes, Calories in Cheesecake Factory Super Foods

Oct 5 2015

Spotted on Shelves...

ThinkThin Protein Bites & Protein Nut Bites We've been known to snack on a single protein bar between meals throughout the day, so we love the concept of these bitty-sized bars. Have a whole serving, or just chew a few! And the flavors rock: Salted Caramel Protein Bites, White Chocolate Protein Nut Bites, and more. Each serving (8 - 10 pieces) has 170 - 190 calories, 7 - 12g fat, 115 - 200mg sodium, 15 - 23g carbs, 3 - 5g fiber, 7 - 8g sugars, and 9 - 10g protein (PointsPlus® value 5*). Find them at select retailers nationwide, or order online.

Mediterranean Snacks BeanStalks Low-calorie crunchy snacks with a protein kick... Yay! Made with cannellini beans, green peas, and pinto beans, these crispy straws are also all-natural and gluten-free. Available in Sea Salt, BBQ, and Cheddar, each 24-stalk serving has 130 calories, 5 - 6g fat, 190 - 290mg sodium, 14 - 15g carbs, 2g fiber, 2g sugars, and 4g protein (PointsPlus® value 3*). In select stores and online.

Yoplait Limited Edition Fall Yogurt Flavors If you ask us, there can never be too many low-calorie seasonal treats. Well, Yoplait has just launched its autumn lineup! We’re most excited about the protein-packed Caramel Apple Greek 100 and Pumpkin Cheesecake Greek 100 Whips!: Each of those has 100 calories, 0g fat, 50 - 90mg sodium, 12 - 15g carbs, 0g fiber, 7 - 12g sugars, and 9 - 12g protein (PointsPlus® value 2*). There’s also Pumpkin Pie Light (90 calories, PointsPlus® value 2) and Apple Crisp Original (150 calories, PointsPlus® value 4*). Stock up before they disappear...

Pumpkin Spice Latte Throwdown: Starbucks, Panera Bread & Dunkin' Donuts

So you want a pumpkin latte? We're here to give you the deets on what to order and where… (FYI: Many of these also come iced, but we’re talking about the hot stuff.)



Starbucks

The 'Bucks cleaned up its Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe; it now has pure pumpkin and no caramel coloring. That said, some special ordering will save you lots of calories. Get a Short (8-oz.) drink made with nonfat milk and no whipped cream; that'll run you 130 fat-free calories. Much smarter than the standard Grande, with its 380 calories and 14g fat.



Panera Bread

While it's made with real pumpkin and no artificial ingredients, the stats here are not good: a 16-oz. Pumpkin Spice Latte has 450 calories and 12g fat! Our advice if you find yourself at Panera and can't live without it? Request fat-free milk, and skip the whipped cream and salted caramel syrup.



Dunkin' Donuts

You might think DD's Pumpkin Swirl Coffee is the way to go, but that stuff is flavored with sugary syrup: A small cup (without any milk) has 110 calories, and it's pretty much all sugar. The Pumpkin Swirl Latte isn't a great choice either: A small one made with fat-free milk has 180 calories... although it does have 8g protein! The newly launched Pumpkin Macchiato is a slightly better bet: Sip a small with skim milk for 160 calories (and 6g protein).



DIY

With just 97 calories (including whipped topping), our Hungry Spice Girl Pumpkin Latte is always a good choice. Happy pumpkin spicing!



The Buzz…

We need help choosing our next restaurant survival guide... What's YOUR pick? Take our one-question poll, and we'll serve up a full-on guide of smart-eating strategies for the winning chain! Then check out all our other survival guides here... ***Speaking of dining out, The Cheesecake Factory is now offering "Super" Foods salads, and we got our hands on the calorie counts. Sadly, the numbers aren't pretty: They range from 820 to 1,210 calories per salad. Yikes. We'll stick with the SkinnyLicious salads, thankyouverymuch... Click here for our latest CF Survival Guide. ***Well, this is concerning... According to a recent study, almost half of the edible seafood supply in the U.S. goes uneaten. That's a reported 2.3 billion pounds of seafood! Don't let that shrimp, salmon, or tilapia go bad before you can cook it: Click on the links for recipe ideas! ***Last but not least, big props to Target... The chain is promoting healthy living by giving its employees free or reduced-cost Fitbits as well as discounts on fruits and veggies. Nice! And that's all we've got. 'Til next time… Chew the right thing!

Chew on this:

Today, October 5th, is Do Something Nice Day. What's nicer than baking someone guilt-free sweets? A batch of Triple-Chocolate Softies will do the trick.

Before your pals get hit with the PSL cravings, click "Send to a Friend," so they know where to go and how to order!

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*The WW Points® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by WW International, Inc., the owner of the Points® trademark.

Questions on the WW Points® values listed? Click here.

Hungry Girl provides general information about food and lifestyle. This information and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. Click here for more information.