don't Fear the Bagel! Healthiest Smears and Spreads

Bagels have a bad reputation as a dieter's nightmare: one plain bagel contains 290 calories and 59 grams of carbs. Since a completely carb-free diet isn't the healthiest way to keep pounds off or maintain a healthy weight, go ahead and enjoy a warm, toasted bagel every so often. They're not all as unhealthy as everyone thinks, especially if you choose one made with whole wheat flour, whole grains, or seeds. It also depends on what spread you choose to smear on. Check out the chart below to see how they compare.

Spread (1 oz, about 2 tbsp)	Cal.	Fat/ Sat.Fat (g)	Chol. (mg)	Sod. (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Cream cheese	100	10/6	35	105	1	0	1	2
Light cream cheese	70	6/3.5	20	140	2	0	2	2
Fat-free cream cheese	30	0/0	5	210	2	0	0	4
Whipped cream cheese	89	8.9/5.2	30	133	1.5	0	1.5	1.5
Garden vegetable cream cheese	80	7/4.5	20	160	2	0	1	2
Light garden vegetable cream cheese	70	5/3.5	20	190	2	0	2	2

Don't see your fave? Keep reading for the nutritional info of other bagel spreads.

Spread (1 oz, about 2 tbsp)	Cal.	Fat/ Sat.Fat (g)	Chol. (mg)	Sod. (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Strawberry cream cheese	80	6/4	20	110	5	0	4	1
Honey nut cream cheese	80	7/4	15	105	4	0	3	1
Greek cream cheese	60	3/2	10	85	3	0	3	4
Cottage cheese, low-fat	41	1.1/.7	7	183	2.7	0	1.8	5.5
Lox (4 oz.)	132	4.9/1	26	2,260	0	0	0	20.7
Salted butter	204	23/14.6	61	164	0	0	0	.2
Earth Balance	203	22/7	0	240	0	0	0	0
Strawberry preserves	100	0/0	0	0	26	0	18	0
Butter and preserves (1 tbsp. of each)	152	11.5/7.3	30.5	93.5	13	0	9	.1
Natural peanut butter, no salt	190	16/2	0	0	7	3	1	8
Almond butter, no salt	190	16/1.5	0	0	6	4	2	7
Hummus	70	6/1	0	120	4	1	0	2
Avocado (half)	161	14/7/2.1	0	7	8.6	6.7	.7	2

Source: Shutterstock