7:18AM TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2012
Which Girl Scout Cookie Is the Healthiest . . . and Which Ones Should You Avoid?
Girl Scout Cookies are back, and just like every year, it's for a limited time. So if you're stocking up, here's a list of the healthiest and LEAST healthy Girl Scout cookies you can buy.

#1.) The Healthiest Are the Trefoils . . . also called "Shortbread Cookies". You definitely shouldn't eat a whole BOX. But one cookie only has 30 calories, and less fat and sugar than any of the others.

#2.) Savannah Smiles. It's the new cookie they introduced this year, and it actually has fewer calories than Trefoils do: 28 per cookie.

--But it also has more fat, and A LOT more sugar. In fact, four different types of sugar are listed in the ingredients.

--Shout Outs were introduced last year, and they're not THAT bad for you either. Each cookie is 32 calories.

#3.) Thin Mints. Each one only has 40 calories. But just like most of the other cookies, the box SAYS there's no trans fat . . . even though it's not really true.

--The government just lets food companies round down to zero if there's less than a half-gram of trans fat per serving.

#4.) Dulce de Leche. They're caramel cookies with caramel chips in them, so obviously they're not GOOD for you. But like Thin Mints, they only have about 40 calories each.

#5.) Do-si-dos. They're also just called "Peanut Butter Sandwiches" in some parts of the country. Either way, they have about 55 calories per cookie.

#6.) Thank U Berry Munches. They have real cranberries in them, which SOUNDS good. But one cookie still has 60 calories and 3.5 grams of sugar.

#7.) Tagalongs . . . or in Some Areas, "Peanut Butter Patties". Each one has around 70 calories and contains partially hydrogenated oil . . . which means there's SOME trans fat.

#8.) Samoas or "Caramel deLites". Some Girl Scout troops sell one or the other, but they're basically the same thing.

--Each one is 70 calories per cookie, and according to "Eating Well" magazine, they're the worst choice if you're trying to lose weight.

--Lemonades and Thanks-a-Lots actually have five more calories per cookie. But Samoas earn the "least healthy" label because they have more saturated fat than any other Girl Scout cookie.

(Eating Well)