Text size:

A healthy street snack

By Ben Muessig | Special to amNY

5:20 PM EST, January 29, 2008

An apple and a handful of nuts make for a healthy snack

If you're hungry and you're in a hurry, grabbing a hot dog from the corner will send your diet nowhere fast. Avoiding hotdogs in favor of more natural foods won't waste time, but it will save you calories and fat.

Instead of:
Two hotdogs on white buns
618 calories

40.2 grams of fat
15.6 grams of saturated fat
70 mg cholesterol

Try:
An apple and 2 oz of raw, unsalted peanuts
377 calories
28.2 grams of fat
4 g sat fat
0 mg cholesterol

"Stay away from processed red meats like hotdogs," said certified dietician and nutritionist, Sophia Aslanis, of Nutrition4Life. Hotdogs are full of fats and preservatives, so they are best consumed in moderation. A bag of nuts and an apple make for a healthier high-speed meal.

"Apples are filling and they give you some fiber because of their skin," Aslanis said. They're also rich in vitamin C, and unlike most fruits, they taste great around this time of year. In terms of nuts, you can choose any kind you like so long as they are raw and unsalted. "Even though nuts have fat, they have the kind of fat that is good for you," Aslanis said.