8. COFFEE-BASED BEVERAGES: Now this is really where calories can start
adding up. Though coffee itself has a negligible caloric value, plenty
of beverages on your coffee shop's menu can pack a quarter of the
calories you'd ordinarily require to meet your energy needs. A 16-ounce
pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, for example, comes in at 380
calories, 14 grams of fat, and 50 grams of sugar. Yikes.

Drink This Instead: Black coffee. Spend some time identifying the notes
that float your boat, and you'll soon look at those fatty, sugary,
calorically bloated liquid desserts as a thing of your past.

9. CROISSANTS: We know, we know-biting into a buttery, flaky croissant
can be a transcendent experience. Eat too many of them, however, and
pretty soon your belly could transcend your belt buckle. A butter
croissant from Starbucks has about 310 calories, more than half of which
come from fat.

Eat This Instead: Grab some oatmeal. Oats have plenty of fiber and are a perfect breakfast. A serving of Starbucks Classic Oatmeal is just 160
calories on its own. You may find that the accompanying package of dried
fruit makes the packet of brown sugar superfluous.

10. DONUTS: We have to wonder-how did these things ever become a
breakfast food to begin with? Some of the offerings at Dunkin' Donuts
come close to packing 500 calories-and 0 grams of anything nutritious.

Eat This Instead: Satisfy your sweet tooth by making some energy balls
to eat with your black coffee. Just blend any or all of the following:
dried, unsweetened fruit; oats; honey; and ground flaxseed, which adds
omega-3s for an energizing boost. Chopped nuts, dark chocolate pieces,
nut butter, and unsweetened, shredded coconut are other nutritious
options. Add some water, a little at a time, until the mixture is
moistened enough to form into 1-ounce balls. If you use prunes, oats,
honey, and flaxseed, each energy ball has about 100 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber.

11. KETCHUP: Look at a bottle of ketchup, then imagine that one-quarter
of that bottle is full of sugar-because it is! Don't be fooled into
thinking that this omnipresent condiment has much to do with the
goodness naturally contained in tomatoes. The sugar and salt override
any cancer-fighting lycopene it contains.

Eat This Instead: Slightly more expensive, but well worth it, is organic ketchup. Research has shown that organically-raised tomatoes produce
nearly twice as much lycopene.

12. MAYONNAISE: Regular mayo ranks among the worst of empty-calorie
condiments. Non-fat varieties of mayo aren't a whole lot better,
considering the sugar and preservatives they contain. Plus, it's a
mystery if mayo is even a food; after all, it's made with eggs but can
happily sit, unrefrigerated, on a supermarket shelf for months without
breaking down or separating. There's something not quite right about
that . . .

Eat This Instead: You can make a healthier version of mayo at home by
blending Greek yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and spices. You'll
save more than 200 calories and 20 grams of fat per quarter-cup serving.
Plus, Greek yogurt is rich in protein and calcium.

13. CREAM CHEESE: Two tablespoons of regular cream cheese have 100
calories, 9 grams of fat, and 6 grams of saturated fat. What do you get nutritionally for all that? Not much. Cream cheese doesn't provide a significant amount of any good-for-you nutrients; even its calcium count
is lame.

Eat This Instead: Neufchâtel is a cream cheese style cheese from France,
which made its debut during the European Dark Ages. A 100 gram serving
contains 253 calories-89 fewer than the same amount of Philadelphia
Cream Cheese. It also has 11 fewer grams of fat than its American
cousin. Mon Dieu!

14. THICK-CRUST PIZZA: Cheese has protein, and tomato-based products
have lycopene. That's the good news about pizza! The bad news? Well,
it's all contained in a high-cal, low-nutrient crust. Pizza dough won't
only impart very little nutrition to your body (as normally, it's made
from refined white flour), but it will also spike your insulin levels,
which means those empty calories will cause you to crave more simple
carbs.

Eat This Instead: We're not going to ask you to stop eating pizza; we
know that's impossible, as who doesn't love some pizza? However, we will suggest that you opt for a thinner-crust slice whenever possible. And
here's a New Yorker's bonus tip: That stuff they call pizza in Chicago?
Just go ahead and avoid those deep-dish slices.

15. BEER: There really is nothing that pairs better with chicken wings
than a beer, but most beers aren't worth the calories. Beer amounts to
little more than liquid carbs-and a growing gut.

Drink This Instead: If you're going to drink beer, choose Guinness.
Despite its heavy, hearty dark appearance, this stout has 20 fewer
calories per 12-ounce serving than a Bud. But there's more: A University
of Wisconsin study found that moderate consumption of Guinness worked
like aspirin to prevent blood clots that increase the risk of heart
attacks. That's because the antioxidants it contains are better than
vitamins C and E at keeping bad LDL cholesterol from clogging arteries.

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