Hello Cookie Lovers,

How are you? A Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2012 to you all.

To those who are celebrating the Chinese New Year, have a terrific Year of the Dragon.🙂

As a start, it’s a pleasure for Smart Cookies to share with you some information about weight control.

My number labeled “A-G-E” and my body weight have been getting along splendidly. I can tell because they move in the same direction for the past few years, especially after joyous holidays.

I consider this a betrayal on the part of my body weight. For years, many have envied me as I am a person who could consume as much foods as possible and still remained slim and trim.

How did this happen? Better yet, is there anything I can do to stop it?

Being terminally optimistic, I set out to find a “silver lining” for the comradery between my “A-G-E” and body weight.

It didn’t take me long to find many of my favorite foods, cookies included, were packaged with the labeled low fat or “reduced fat.” Does this mean I can have them as much as or as many as I want to?

Not really! The labels of nutrition facts shattered my high hope. Take a look for yourself because I am devastatingly at a loss for words.

Oreo Cookies, serving size: 3 cookies

Original: 160 calories Reduced Fat: 150 calories

Chips Ahoy Cookies, serving size: 3 cookies

Original: 160 calories Reduced Fat: 150 calories

Ritz Crackers, serving size: 5 crackers

Original: 80 calories Reduced Fat: 70 calories

Do brace yourself because that’s not all. I found out what “low fat” or “reduce fat” really means. It means that the foods may have more on other ingredients.

Oreo Cookies, serving size: 3 cookies

Original Reduced Fat
Sodium: 160 mg 150 mg
Carbs: 24 g 26 g
Sugar: 14 g 14 g

Chips Ahoy Cookies, serving size: 3 cookies

Original Reduced Fat
Sodium: 110 mg 140 mg
Carbs: 22 g 24 g
Sugar: 11 g 11 g

Ritz Crackers, serving size: 5 crackers

Original Reduced Fat
Sodium: 105 mg 150 mg
Carbs: 10 g 11 g
Sugar: 1 g 2 g

Carbohydrates break down into simple sugar once inside a digestive system. Therefore, as I take in less fat but more sugar, I’m telling my body to use the latter as a source for fuel. I’m inadvertently setting myself up for future health problems, not to mention the danger of excessive sodium or salt as we know it.

I will eventually experience high and low bounds of body energy. This will inevitably result in my craving for more and more processed sugar and carbohydrate foods.

Again, what does all this mean? Very simple – We can have good fats but in moderation.

What are the good fats? I thought you would ask. 🙂

That’s a topic for another time. For now, it’s alright to reach for the homemade cookies, but please don’t eat the whole batch in one day. As you enjoy them, do check out these pages that I have recently added to the site.

A Tribute to Visitors of Homemade Cookies – A long-overdue tribute to those who have helped me build this Web site.

Cookie Recipes From The Old World – A growing collection of cookie recipes from around the world and reasons for collecting them.

Stress Relief through Baking and Religious Observance – The often overlooked but obvious connection among religion, homemade cookies, and stress relief.

Food Safety – Inevitable Effects on Homemade Cookies – Food safety issues affecting two ingredients of homemade cookies, and preventive or corrective actions from authorities, if there are any.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies – Baking directions and ingredients for gluten free chocolate chip cookies.

Until next time ….Keep on baking.


Published date: January 24th, 2012

Copyright 2012 by Trinh Lieu. All right reserved.