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Finally, the answers to all your burning bagel questions!

Who doesn't love a fresh, warm bagel for breakfast (or lunch or dinner for that matter)? Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside....mmmm! The catch is, if you aren't careful, that seemingly convenient and tasty meal or snack could really pack in the calories.

Q: I have a sneaking suspicion that the bagel shop on my way to work puts a bit more than 2 tablespoons of cream cheese on my morning bagel -- it usually ends up looking more like a hefty cream cheese sandwich. I love it that way though -- but how many calories do you think I'm eating each morning? 

A: If your local bagel shop is anything like the one near our offices, we'll venture to guess that your morning bagel does contain more than just 2 tablespoons of cream cheese. In fact, the typical cream cheese serving we see here amounts to about 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of cream cheese!

With a half cup of cream cheese, your morning bagel would weigh in at around 760 calories and 42 grams of fat! For the same number of fat and calories, you could have two (2) Egg McMuffins, and a side of hash browns at McDonald's.

As a guideline, 2 tablespoons of full fat cream cheese has about 100 calories and 10 grams of fat, and should be just about enough to coat each half.

Q: If I scoop out the dough part in my morning bagel, will that make a huge difference in the number of calories I consume?

A: You dough it! Scooping out the inside of the bagel can save you up to half the calories the bagel contains! Also, try cutting the bagel in half or choosing a 1-2 oz mini bagel which contains a mere 80-160 calories.

Q: How many calories do I save by toasting my bagel?

A: Ummmm...we've got some bad news for you. Just because you burn your bagel each morning, it doesn't mean the calories are getting burned too. Toasting doesn't save any calories, but the good news is that it doesn't add calories either.

Q: I really love the taste and texture of full fat cream cheese. It's a bagel must for me! I do want to try to cut back a little though--are there certain flavors that have fewer calories than others? For example, would honey raisin walnut have more than olive?

A: If you're going to savor the flavor, realize that most of those cream cheeses contain the same amount of calories as non-flavored cream cheeses--any calorie difference is small and ranges from only 10-20 calories per tablespoon. The reason for this is that the more of the other ingredients you add (i.e. nuts, olives, etc.), the less cream cheese you have per servings, so you end up getting even with that spread.

Q: I absolutely must have my chocolate chip bagel each morning! Must have it! What's the damage? Am I consuming more calories than if I had just a plain bagel?

A: Not to put a chip on your shoulder, but those chocolate chips add an extra 50-70 calories and 5-7 fat grams per 4 oz bagel. While a plain bagel of that size may contain between 320-350 calories and 2 grams of fat, varying the ingredients to add nuts, seeds, chocolate chips or cheese will increase the number of calories.

Q: My wife has gone tofu crazy recently! She puts tofu in our meatloaf, on my sandwiches, and on everything else I eat. She even started putting tofu cream cheese on my morning bagel! Will you please tell her that there's no difference between this rabbit food and regular cream cheese? (Please!)

A: Wish we could help you out, but there's a reason you rarely see rabbits have a heart attack. Unlike regular cream cheese, which contains harmful saturated fat, the fat in tofu cream cheese, a.k.a "rabbit food" as you so fondly refer to it, is heart healthy mono and polyunsaturated. Additionally, it's derived from plants (soy beans), so it contains no cholesterol. It also commonly contains only 25-40 calories and 0-4 fat grams per tablespoon. If you give it a try, you might just like it, and your heart will definitely love it!

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