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Food Showdown: Banana Chips vs. Chocolate Raisins

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Editor's Note: We are excited to announce that SparkPeople's popular "Food Showdown" feature now has a new home here on the dailySpark! Every Saturday, we will be posting a different round of food duos to battle it out in a survival of the healthiest.Try to guess which food is the best choice and check after the jump to see if you picked the victor! Be sure to let us know what you think of Food Showdown, and to share your ideas for future food comparisons in the comments section below. Happy reading!

People will add all kinds of things to fruits and veggies to disguise their natural flavors and make them more appealing. Canned fruits stew in corn syrup, dried fruits are covered in sugar, and these two popular snacks are no exception. Banana chips. They look healthy and aren't super sweet--basically fruit, right? What about chocolate-covered raisins? Raisins are nutritious and chocolate can be healthy in moderation, but how are they together? One of these snacks is masquerading as healthier than it is.

Can you pick the low-fat winner?

The Winner: Chocolate-Covered Raisins!
Believe it or not, chocolate-covered raisins are the lesser evil here. Despite the sugar and the chocolate coating, 1.5 ounces of these sweeties contain just over 6 grams of fat and 8 grams of saturated fat--that's still 18% of your daily value though. For 150 calories, this can be a reasonable treat that won't ruin your diet. But banana chips are much, much worse. Cooked in high-fat oil and loaded with sugar, a small 1.5-ounce serving of these crunchy fruits contains 14.5 grams of fat, over 12 grams of saturated fat (62% of your daily value), and 220 calories.

Tip: Don't fool yourself when it comes to yogurt-covered raisins though. Although yogurt may sound healthier than chocolate, yogurt-dipped raisins still pack more fat (9 grams) and calories (200) than the chocolate version. But of course, straight-up fruit without the added sugars or oils is always your best best.