Eat your fries, no guilty strings attached

Oh, how I once loved fries. I guess I still love them. I just don't eat them.

Fries are one food I gave up cold turkey when revamping my diet more than one year ago. Away they went with sweets, soda, alcohol, and red meat. Ditching these items worked well for me. I'm an all-or-nothing girl, you see. There's no in between. I can't just eat a few fries and be happy -- I have to eat and eat and eat. Bidding a fond farewell to my bad-habit foods was a good choice for me. For you? Maybe you don't need to be so extreme.

The folks at Prevention magazine say even guilty pleasures can be healthful. And according to one Gallup poll, half of American moms think French fries can be part of a well-balanced diet. Potatoes eaten with skin are packed with vitamin C, after all. They are also a great source of potassium and fiber. The key to eating them with good health in mind, though: You must buy them right and cook them right (hint: avoid the deep fryer). Here's what the Prevention people would do.

• Buy frozen fries with no more than 120 calories and 3.5 g of fat per three-ounce serving.
• Try Alexia Olive Oil & Sea Salt Oven Fries, Ian's Sweet Potato Fries, and Cascadian Farm Organic Wedge Cut Oven Fries.
• If you're caught in a fast food joint, ask about "air fries" -- one 3-ounce serving has about 180 calories, 6 g of fat and 1 g of saturated fat.
• To make your own friendly fries, check out this recipe for Rainbow Fries. The bottom line: 114 cal, 3 g protein, 18 g carb, 4 g fiber, 3.5 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, and 25 mg sodium. They sound yummy -- but I'm still not budging.