Spectacular Samoas: Indulge in Moderation

Kristy Jo Hunt
Mar 12, 2015
2 min read

Dear Body Buds,

Oh dear. Girls Scout Cookies have arrived in Utah, and I've already heard many horror stories of the binges that happen. It's a joke, is it not? They're amazing! You can't stop eating them! You buy a box for you, and another box for you!

However, the implications for your body can be horrific. For one serving (two cookies), you ingest the following:

10 grams of sugar
18 grams of carbohydrate
8 grams of fat

That's a full Peak Range of fat.

That's almost a full Peak Range of carbohydrate.

And that's above our rule of thumb--5 grams of sugar per meal--all according to our Power Foods Lifestyle Lingo.

"It's two cookies that weigh 29 grams--that's less than an ouce," said Registered Dietitian, Gwen Coleman. "That's such a small amount of food for the negative effects of what it's packing. It's the perfect combination of everything the Power Foods Lifestyle goes against--carbs combined with fats."

Check out that ingredient list: sugar and vegetable oil are the FIRST TWO INGREDIENTS LISTED.

Your blood sugar is going to rise from the sugar, then the extra energy of combined fats with carbohdrates is subject to being shuttled away for fat storage, if glucose isn't immediately needed in the body. So if you're sitting at your desk or watching TV, watch out--you're in trouble.

And that's just with one serving--two cookies. What happens when you go on a binge? Talk about a MASSIVE blood sugar spike that can leave you with headaches, irritable, feeling lethargic, and craving more sugar as your blood sugar falls rapidly. The biochemical imbalances eating in this way will create may have residual impacts upwards of 2-3 days.

"There's nothing spectacular about Samoas except for the increase in your booty from over-indulgence," said Coleman. "There's really not a good time to eat anything that's carbs combined with fat."

With that said, Body Buds, be wise. It's okay to have ONE serving. We should enjoy foods in modearation and awareness of pairing our nutrients wisely. Portion your Samoas and other cookies into individual ziplock baggies. It's too easy to overindulge when they taste so darned good.

As for integrating Power Foods principles into your lifestyle way of eating, adhere to the following advice:

Eat a solid amount of protein (15-30 grams) and a portion of veggies (1 c. or so) with your treat to account for one of your Power Foods meals (P + V + C + F).

Disclaimer: We at Body Buddies FULLY support the Girl's Scout Organization whole-heartedly and love what they stand for! This is simply an educational piece.

Love your bud,