Surviving Girl Scout Cookie Season

[BABY1]

TweetIt comes but once a year, that time when a few bucks will buy you a stroll down memory lane. As we speak, girls dressed in green are knocking on doors across America, selling boxes filled with everyone's favorite treat -- Girl Scout cookies.
Which ones do you look forward to? It's a very subjective thing. While my husband is a Thin Mint kind of guy, my youngest daughter is a Tagalong fan and my oldest daughter enjoys the shortbread cookies. I used to be all about the All Abouts, but, sadly, they’ve entered early retirement as do many of the more inventive cookies.
And yes, this dietitian and her family do indulge in these not-so-healthy treats. I usually buy a box of everyone’s favorite cookie, we enjoy them, and after about a week or two, we move on. Girl Scout cookies are one of those unique food traditions that mark a certain time of year. If you are someone who really looks forward to these cookies and would register it as a loss if you didn’t partake, I'd say you should treat yourself -- but with moderation in mind.
What’s New in Girl Scout Cookies?

Two different bakers make Girl Scout cookies, and each makes their own particular rendition of the classics -- Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Samoas, Shortbreads. (These five are the top-selling types of cookies, with Thin Mints at No. 1.)
Depending on which baker supplies your particular cookie connection, the names and nutrition information can vary. I might say "Tagalongs" and you say "Peanut Butter Patties;" or you say "Shortbread" and I say "Trefoils." Samoas are similar to Caramel deLites and "Peanut Butter Sandwiches" are equivalent to "Do-si-dos."
Each year, the two chosen bakers try out at least one new cookie option. If they don’t sell well, they usually aren't back the next year. The latest cookie to be crossed off the active list is the Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip cookies.
"It’s a constant process," says Michelle Tompkins, a spokeswoman for Girl Scouts USA. "But there’s always a demand for healthier cookies."
This year, the new cookie on the block is the Thank U Berry Munch cookies. I'd say this one stands a chance of staying on the cookie list for next year, considering that it features a popular combination of dried cranberries and white-fudge chips. Back from last year are the Reduced Fat Daisy Go Rounds, which come in portion-controlled 100-calorie pouches.
Rating the Girl Scout Cookies

Although Girl Scout cookies can't exactly be considered health food (they are cookies, after all), which are the most healthy -- or perhaps I should say the least unhealthy?
Below is my ranking, from most figure-friendly to least, of popular Girl Scout Cookie options. The ones with asterisks beside their names were superlative in some category (like lowest in fat or highest in sugar) among those ranked.

1. *Reduced Fat Daisy Go Rounds (1 100-calorie pack; 24 grams).
*Lowest in fat; Lowest in saturated fat; Lowest in calories
Fat grams: 2
Saturated fat grams: 1
Calories:100
Sugar grams: 8
Total carbohydrate grams:19
Fiber grams: less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, palm oil, and high fructose corn syrup
2. *Shortbread (4 cookies; 26 grams)
*Lowest in sugar; second-lowest in fat
Fat grams: 4.5
Saturated fat grams: 2
Calories: 120
Sugar grams: 4
Total carbohydrate grams: 19
Fiber grams: less than 1
First 3 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, and palm oil; cookies contain less that 2% of the remaining ingredients
3. Do-si-dos (2 cookies; 24 grams)
Fat grams: 5
Saturated fat grams: 1.5
Calories: 110
Sugar grams: 7
Total carbohydrate grams: 16
Fiber grams: less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, whole grain oats, soybean and palm oils
4. Thank U Berry Munch (2 cookies; 25 grams)
Fat grams: 5
Saturated fat grams: 2
Calories: 120
Sugar grams: 7
Total carbohydrate grams: 18
Fiber grams: less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, vegetable oil (soybean, palm, and palm kernel oil), sweetened dried cranberries
5. *Peanut Butter Sandwich (3 cookies, 35 grams)
* Tied with Lemon Chalet for highest in carbohydrate grams
Fat grams: 6
Saturated fat grams: 2.5
Calories: 160
Sugar grams: 8
Total carbohydrate grams: 26
Fiber grams: less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, peanuts, oats
6. Thanks-A-Lot (2 cookies, 31 grams)
Fat grams: 6
Saturated fat grams: 3.5
Calories:150
Sugar grams: 9
Total carbohydrate grams: 22
Fiber grams: less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, vegetable shortening; high fructose corn syrup
7. Trefoils (5 cookies, 33 grams)
Fat grams = 8
Saturated fat grams = 2.5
Calories = 160
Sugar grams = 7
Total carbohydrate grams = 22
Fiber grams = less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, soybean and palm oils, sugar, brown sugar
8. *Lemon Chalet Cremes (2 cookies; 32 grams)
* Highest in calories; Tied for highest in sugar with Caramel deLites; Tied with Peanut Butter Sandwiches for highest in carbohydrates
Fat grams: 7
Saturated fat grams: 2.5
Calories: 170
Sugar grams: 13
Total carbohydrate grams: 26
Fiber grams: <1 gram
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, soybean and palm oils, dextrose
9. Lemonades (2 cookies, 31 grams)
Fat grams: 7
Saturated fat grams: 4
Calories: 150
Sugar grams: 9
Total carbohydrate grams: 22
Fiber grams: 0
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, vegetable shortening, cornstarch
10. Thin Mints from Little Brownie Bakers (4 cookies, 32 grams)
Fat grams: 8
Saturated fat grams: 5
Calories: 160
Sugar grams: 10
Total carbohydrate grams: 22
Fiber grams: less than 1 gram
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated palm kernel and/or cottonseed oil, palm oil), cocoa
11. *Caramel deLites (2 cookies, 28 grams)
*Highest in sugar; Tied with Thin Mints by ABC and Samoas for the highest in saturated fat
Fat grams: 7
Saturated fat grams: 6
Calories: 140
Sugar grams: 13
Total carbohydrate grams: 19
Fiber grams: 1
First 4 ingredients: sugar, enriched flour, corn syrup, vegetable shortening
12. Peanut Butter Patties (2 cookies, 28 grams)
Fat grams = 8
Saturated fat grams = 5
Calories = 150
Sugar grams = 10
Total carbohydrate grams = 17
Fiber grams = less than 1
First 4 ingredients: sugar, enriched flour, peanuts, vegetable shortening
13. *Tagalongs (2 cookies, 25 grams)
* Highest in fat: Lowest in carbohydrate grams
Fat grams = 9
Saturated fat grams = 5
Calories = 140
Sugar grams = 8
Total carbohydrate grams = 13
Fiber grams = < 1 gram
First 4 ingredients: peanuts, sugar, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated palm, palm kernel, and/or cottonseed oil, soybean and palm oil, hydrogenated palm, soybean and cottonseed oil), enriched flour
14. Dulce de Leche (4 cookies, 30 grams)
Fat grams = 8 grams
Saturated fat grams = 3.5
Calories = 160
Sugar grams = 9
Total carbohydrate grams = 19
Fiber grams = less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, soybean and palm oil, dulce de leche flavored drops (sugar, palm kernel and palm oil, etc.), sugar
15. * Samoas (2 cookies, 29 grams)
* Tied with Thin Mints (ABC) and Caramel deLites for highest in saturated fat
Fat grams: 8
Saturated fat grams: 6
Calories: 150
Sugar grams: 11
Total carbohydrate grams: 19
Fiber grams: less than 1
First 4 ingredients: sugar, vegetable oil (soybean and palm oil, partially hydrogenated palm kernel and//or cottonseed oil), enriched flour, corn syrup
16. *Thin Mints from ABC Bakers (4 cookies, 32 grams)
*Tied with Caramel deLites and Samoas for highest in saturated fat
Fat grams = 8
Saturated fat grams = 6
Calories = 160
Sugar grams = 10
Total carbohydrate grams = 21
Fiber grams = less than 1
First 4 ingredients: enriched flour, sugar, vegetable shortening, cocoa
What About Trans Fats in Girl Scout Cookies?

Since 2007, all varieties of Girl Scout cookies have contained "zero trans fat per serving," Tompkins says. But you might notice in the ingredients lists that some of the cookies contain partially hydrogenated oils, which are how trans fats are made.
So how can they claim to have zero trans fats? These cookies meet or exceed the Food and Drug Administration's guidelines for the "zero trans fat" designation because they contain less than 0.5 grams trans fat per serving.
So if you eat two servings of cookies (or more), particularly those that list partially hydrogenated oils among their first four ingredients, you might take in close to a gram of trans fat. This is less likely to happen if you stick to the cookies that don’t have "partially hydrogenated oil" listed among their ingredients.
How Not to Eat the Whole Sleeve

It's fine to talk about moderation, but what if you're one of those people for whom the "suggested serving size" is never enough when it comes to Girl Scout cookies?
Believe it or not, two or three cookies will go a long way if you really savor every bite.
Megrette Fletcher, RD, CDE, MEd, executive director of The Center for Mindful Eating and co-author of Discover Mindful Eating, says one way to heighten your mindfulness while eating fattening treats is by changing your sensory environment. For example, to "tune in" when eating a serving of cookies, change up their temperature (by eating them straight from the refrigerator or freezer) or texture (eat a crisp cookie, and then a soft cookie).
"We often tune out when we eat the same things over and over again," Hammond says.
Another trick is to "reset" your palate in between bites by sipping a cup of tea or mineral water. This way, your taste buds will really notice each bite of cookie.
And make sure you're not overly hungry when you open that sleeve of those magical mint cookies. You don’t want to put yourself in a situation that makes it difficult for you to eat a moderate amount, Fletcher says.

[BABY1]

TweetJust picked up several boxes! Oh no!

[LightWeightBaby]

TweetI love these and they usually screw up my diet and put me on a sweets binge. I am glad they are not available year round.

[deepsouth]

TweetThanks for the info- they were hitting me up in front of HEB yesterday

[Dzone]

Tweetya, its cool that you cant get em year around...its been a few years ..but could easily make short work of a box or two...

[MOUNTAIN-MAN]

Tweetdont answer the door

[dixiechick]

TweetOh No! Not Girl Scout Cookies!!! I love them!

It's a good thing I'm working out of the house now. There was always someone in the office where I use to work who sold Girl Scout Cookies. I'm sure going to miss them. I might have to pick up a few boxes and hide them for E. ***shhhh, don't tell him****

[rc10j1]

TweetI go out the other exit at HEB or walmart when they are there. Thinmints are like crack to me. I will eat a whole box if I start lol

[O2BESOHUGE]

TweetI LOVE THE PEANUT BUTTER ONES!

[Michelle Hayden]

Tweetcant pass up those coconut ones with the chocolate stripes! yummm!

[skinnyman]

TweetIt's amazing that through the years these boxes of cookies seem to get smaller and smaller and the number of cookies in each bax gets lowere and lower.

I don't know how it by your area but for some strange reason a box of cookies in my area will cost $.25-.35 more than in the area where y brother lives.

I though it woul dbe the same price regardless of demographics

[TheChosen1]

TweetOne of my coworkers just gave me 3 boxes last week and I completely forgot that I ordered them.

[Dzone]

TweetI was at safeway and couldnt say no...ended up buying cranberry/white chocolate...it was about $3.50 for about 12..it wasnt worth the empty calories. I should have just donated the money and told them to keep their cookies...haha