Tip of the Day:

A Better Fruit Spread

Whether you prefer jam, jelly, or preserves, chances are you like one of the three on a peanut butter sandwich or toast. The three forms of fruit spreads are pretty similar, and they all contain a lot of sugar. While commercial fruit spreads do contain natural fruit, high-fructose corn syrup comes second in the ingredients list, which means there's not as much nutritional benefit as you would think. But you can't have your peanut butter without the jelly, so consider sugar-free jam or preserves as your Calorie Bargain.

Smucker's Raspberry Preserves: 50 calories (1 tablespoon)
Smucker's Sugar-free Raspberry Preserves: 10 calories (1 tablespoon)
Calories saved: 40

The sugar-free variety has a fresh, sweet taste, so you can look forward to guilt-free breakfast toast and jam. The calories are cut by means of a carbohydrate called polydextrose, which has only one to two calories per gram. The choice is definitely a no-brainer — dump the sugared preserves or jam and pick up the sugar-free version. Try any of the varieties: apricot, boysenberry, Concord grape, orange, seedless blackberry, or strawberry; they all have the same number of calories.