It may seem like those colorful boxes filled with sugary, chocolate-y and peanut-butter-y goodness should fall into that dangerous diet-derailer category, but a little investigation into the nutrition information reveals that not all Girl Scout cookies are created equal (and not all are to blame for the same kind of damage done to your waistline).

The folks at "Web MD" rounded up a list of the best and worst Girl Scout favorites. Here, two kinds that won't wreck your diet:

• Reduced-Fat Daisy Go Rounds (1 package)

Why it's OK to eat 'em: At just 2 fat grams, 100 calories and 8 grams of sugar, you won't need to stretch out your workout to compensate.

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I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think 100-calorie packs are a completely ridiculous concept. Why? Well, I'm not against the easy calorie control. However, I think that some people get lured by the siren's song of "100 calories" and start to think they're eating healthfully. Sorry, but junk food is junk food. It reminds me of the low-fat craze in the early 90s; my college friends and I used to by Entenmann's fat-free pastries and we seriously thought -- because they were fat free -- they wouldn't contribute to weight gain. Yeah. I left college about 35 pounds heavier than when I started.

Oreo Cakesters has a commercial which is just so wrong. I thought I was being overly critical about it, until I found another health blogger who feels the same way. Watch the video and you'll see women chasing down a Cakesters delivery van. Notice there's not a heavy woman among them. Notice there's not a man among them. Notice how they're all completely maniacal and crazed over these 100-calorie packs. Okay, okay ... I get that it's supposed to be a joke. But there's a kernel of truth to most jokes, and people have gone a little nutty over 100-calorie packs.

What do you think about the commercial? Do you find it borderline offensive like I do? Or do you think it's funny?

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Can you stay fit by eating right, exercising well and eating cookies? Seems to be working for Brody Jenner. Hey, maybe he's buying into this whole Cookie Diet craze. Or maybe the adrenaline of love is keeping him on his famously-fit toes.

Brody is in love with Playboy's 2008 Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole. And he couldn't be happier to have put his hard-partying days behind him. Inspired by his gal (she's in amazing shape, he says), the 25-year-old is working out every day and eating healthier than ever before. Well, except for the cookies, which seem to have taken the place of the drinking.

"We stay in, maybe bake cookies," says step-brother to the Kardashian hotties. "It sounds kind of lame, I know – sorry, boys! – but we bake some cookies, watch DVDs and have nice quality home time."

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Last week, you told us that -- for the majority of you -- Christmas cookies were your biggest holiday weakness. But if you had a few more than you'd planned on over the past few weeks, don't beat yourself up over it -- you may have already burned them off in all your hectic Christmas activities.

Assuming a Christmas cookie has 90 calories ...

• An hour of singing Christmas carols burned off one cookie.
• An hour of writing Holiday cards burned off one and a half cookies.
• An hour of baking burned off two cookies.
• An hour of shopping burned off two cookies (and no one does just an hour of shopping -- if they do, I am so so jealous).
  
• An hour of decorating burned off three cookies.
• An hour of dancing burned off three and a half cookies.
• An hour of shoveling snow burned off four cookies.
• An hour of splitting wood for the fire burned off four and a half cookies.

See? Those holiday cookies don't seem so bad now, do they?

'Tis the season to be merry, and being merry usually involves copious amounts of food and drink. While there might be a salad or veggie tray at your disposal, it's more likely that the spread at your next holiday party will be stocked with unhealthy stuff, like egg nog, cookies, cheese and junk food.

What's your Holiday party weakness? Here's what you told us:

• 27 percent of you have a soft spot for Christmas cookies.
  
• 24 percent of you are crazy about chocolate -- but what else is new?
• 14 percent of you say alcohol is your vice.
  
• and seven percent of you said all of the above -- here, here!
  

Thanks for sharing!

Is there such a thing as a healthy holiday cookie? Why, yes there is. Fitz says you can even cook up a hot body by sneaking some substitutions into your cookie recipes -- read all about it here. And check out her recipe book too.

The experts at Prevention magazine agree. They say it's perfectly possible to improve the nutrition of your cookies.

How do Holiday Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing sound to you? Or Ginger Cashew Pillows (Ah, cashews!)? Chocolate Coconut Rum Balls more up our alley? Or do Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks do it for you? They all sound pretty scrumptious, don't they? And there's more. Like 14 more. Check them all out right here. Complete with pictures and full recipes, you're sure to find something great to whip up for your festive gathering.

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• Juice. Dilute it with water or add a few ice cubes (each cube generally holds an ounce) into flavored seltzer for a low-sugar treat. If you must serve juice, make it OJ -- at least you'll be boosting your little ones' folate, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and E. And serve no more than four to six ounces of juice per day. Too much sugar and calories, so don't go overboard. There isn't anything your kiddos need in juice that they can't get from whole fruit.
• Pizza. Order pizza "easy on the cheese" and pick thin crust instead of thick (it will slash about 80 calories). Top slices with veggies, chicken or ham (better than pepperoni or sausage) and pass on extras, like stuffed crusts and breadsticks.
• Mac and Cheese. For boxed brands, use skim milk and reduce the margarine from four tablespoons to one (this will save 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per cup). When making your own, whip up a sauce of skim milk, margarine and flour and melt in shredded cheese. Boil whole wheat noodles for six grams of fiber per cup. Stir in broccoli bits and diced carrots.

For the skinny on bettering ice cream, cookies, chicken nuggets and French fries, take a stroll over here.

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What comes to mind when you think of kid recipes? Growing up, I know I was relegated to making cookies and cupcakes -- Mom just didn't trust me with much else. But the definition of what kids can and can't cook is changing, according to the New York Times. Now kid-targeted cookbooks offer up recipes like roast chicken, brisket and other main dishes.

It's not just a move that will benefit lazy parents -- it's a healthy one too. After all, kids who only know how to make cookies could end up eating a lot of cookies. And teaching kids how to cook healthy foods for themselves at an early age is a way to get them interested in fresh food and taking part in preparing it.

What do you think? Would you want your little one cooking up a chicken?

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There are a million ways the holidays can trip up your diet -- overeating at a party, drinking calorie-laden drinks, sampling the baked goods you're making for others. But, the gifts you get from others can also create a problem.

I've definitely been guilty of giving a less than diet-friendly food gift to people, although I try to avoid giving such a thing to anyone I know is watching his or her weight. But what about that plate of (delicious) cookies your neighbor brings you? Or the freshly baked pie your aunt drops at your front door?

In my experience, if it's in the house, it's going to get eaten, which leaves one solution -- get it out. Take the naughty treat to your local police or fire station, or if you have a favorite charity in town (American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Alzheimer's Association), take it there. The workers (and residents) in your local nursing home would appreciate a sweet treat, as would nurses and doctors in the hospital. In these places, it's not just one or two people snacking -- lots of people are sharing, so it's not as damaging a gift.

Susan Sarandon is a fantastic actor, a terrific mom and an all-around good role model for young Hollywood starlets. And, at 62, she look phenomenal, don't you think? People magazine recently talked to the iconic actress about her eating habits, and it turns out she has one that few other stars would admit to indulging in: Cookies.

When she's craving something sweet, Sarandon reportedly munches on a few of her favourite banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, made for her by natural foods chef and star of The Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel. But seeing as they're full of healthy ingredients like vegan dark chocolate, whole oats and walnuts, she shouldn't feel too guilty.

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My sisters, mother, and I used to have a cookie exchange every year. It was a lot of fun, but we'd all go home with ridiculous amounts of cookies. It's nice to have some -- after all, a carrot stick doesn't exactly scream holiday spirit -- but too many is just too many. We ended up canceling the tradition altogether and now we just get together for a fun girls' night.

If you're planning on baking some of your family's favorite holiday cookies this year, here are some tips for enjoying without going overboard:

• Cut your recipes in half. Fewer cookies means fewer pounds on the scale. And only make your very favorites -- nobody needs 10 different kinds of cookies.
  
• Know the difference between holiDAYS and holiMONTHS -- Fitz tells you how.
• Don't leave cookies out on a tray for everyday noshing. Only set them out on the special holidays.
  

Today I had more than bills in my mailbox. When I opened it up, there was a little treat waiting for me. A free cookie, courtesy of Kashi. I love Kashi cereals, so when I saw a commercial for free samples of their cookies, I thought I would give it a try. The sample was an Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookie, and it was totally yummy.

More importantly, it's packed with nutrition. The main ingredient is a blend of seven whole grains (hard red winter wheat, oats, rye, triticale, barley, long grain brown rice, and buckwheat). It also has sesame seeds and, of course, tasty dark chocolate. Even though it's all natural and contains lots of good ingredients, it is still a cookie -- it has 130 calories and five grams of fat (1.5 is saturated). It also has eight grams of sugar, but thankfully none of it is from high-fructose corn syrup. Honey and and brown rice syrup are used for sweeteners.

The cookies are also available in Happy Trail Mix (cranberry, raisin, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and shredded coconut) and Oatmeal Raisin Flax flavors. Go ahead. Steal a cookie from the cookie jar and see what you think.

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Reality TV star and socialite Kelly Osbourne hasn't been in the spotlight much these days, but she's recently been spotted looking slim and trim at various star-studded events. According to Life and Style Magazine, here's how she lost weight and improved her health all at once:

• She munches on Organic fruits and veggies throughout the day
• She cut out her main vice food -- cookies
  
• She quit eating late at night
• She cut out beer
• She kept her caloric intake between 1,200 and 1,500 a day.
  

I'm not a fan of calorie counting, but her other diet tips sound healthy and effective. What do you think?

(via Celebrity Diet Doctor)

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Feel free to borrow these tips, ladies, but men -- these are mostly for you. Well, those of you who just can't part with goodies like cookies, beer, bacon, and chips. This list offers you options for satisfying your cravings but without the ill-effects. Don't delay -- click on the thumbnails to read on!

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Food has a very definite connection with our emotions -- it can take us back in time and privide us with the comfort of familiarity when we need it. Chances are, we all have one dish or another that qualifies as comfort food -- what's yours?

eDiets recently revealed what they think are the top 10 comfort foods:

1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Ice Cream
4. Pizza
5. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
6. Tomato Soup
7. Popcorn (probably with lots of extra butter!)
8. Chocolate Shakes
9. Pancakes
10. Homemade Soups and Stews

Most of these will not only provide momentary comfort, they'll pad your waistline too. My advice? Avoid everything except tomato soup and find comfort in a good book and a steaming cup of herbal tea.

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