Baseball is the national pastime, and what visit to a ballpark would be complete without hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack? Liz Vaccariello, author of 400 Calorie Fix, steps up to the plate to show you which snacks hit a homerun with your diet ... and which treats strike out!

Hot dogs

A hot dog will run you only about 320 calories, and you can even go to town on the toppings: "Ketchup is heart healthy and has cancer-fighting lycopene in it, and only 15 calories for two tablespoons; mustard is virtually calorie-free and doesn’t have the sugar; sauerkraut is cabbage, and relish is essentially pickles, which is just cucumbers, so it's like a free food as well."

Peanuts

Liz has good news about peanuts: "They’re good for heart health, they can help us lose weight, and they are belly slimming with monounsaturated fatty acids." However, Liz warns that because peanuts are calorie dense, you have to keep portion size in mind. "You go to Yankee Stadium and the peanuts that they give you are going to cost you 1,500 calories if you eat the whole bag," she says. "Here’s the trick: You don’t have a measuring cup at the ballpark, so think about a loose-cupped handful, or about the amount of peanuts that could be contained in a whiffle-ball. One cup of peanuts is only about 305 calories." Also, Liz says to choose shelled peanuts rather than unshelled. "You’re going to take more time to eat this so it's more leisurely," she explains. "You’re not mindlessly munching, and you’re going to feel it when you get full."

Beer

"Beer is actually a healthy choice," Liz says. "An Israeli study that found that men who drank one 12-ounce beer every day for 30 days had lower bad cholesterol, higher good cholesterol and more antioxidants in their system." A full regular beer is about 150 calories and a light beer is 100 calories, but Liz recommends double-checking the label. "Sam Adams Light has only one less calorie than a Guinness Stout," she says, "so you have to look at the label and go for the light beers like Miller Light or Bud Light that have 100 calories." In terms of serving size, Liz says that those souvenir cups can sometimes hold up to two beers, so know that is a double-serving and could run you about 300-400 calories.

Popcorn vs Cracker Jack

Though popcorn is normally a healthy choice because it's a fiber food, Liz warns to be careful when ordering it at the ballpark. "It's going to be a much bigger container and it's going to cost you about 1,200 calories," she says, adding that, "Cracker Jacks are only 120 calories!"

Related Links

400 Calorie Fix