Dear Pistachio Crazy,

I, too, LOVE pistachios and have wondered those exact same things. I used to think that pistachios have fewer calories than some other nuts, but after doing a little research, I found out that they really don't. My three favorite nuts -- cashews, almonds, and pistachios -- all have roughly 170 - 180 calories, 13 - 15g fat, and 1 - 3g fiber (each with a POINTS® value 4*) for a 30-gram serving (a little more than an ounce) of the nuts without shells. BTW, for pistachios, that's roughly 40 nuts per serving -- so each one has about 4.25 calories. If you want to eat 100 calories' worth of pistachios, you can have about 23 or 24 nuts (for a POINTS® value of 2*) -- that's around 1/3 cup if they are still in the shells. I actually spent a lot of time counting pistachios and weighing them because I was curious if all the numbers would add up -- and they did (yeah, I had LOTS of extra time over the holidays -- no HG emails!). My favorite pistachios come from a company called Everybody's Nuts! (great nuts, fun flavors, amazing packaging and an ADORABLE mascot). By the way, pistachios are heart healthy, and they're loaded with potassium and antioxidants. Recent studies have found that eating pistachios may also help your body respond to stress. Cool!

Dear So Curious,

I'm asked those questions A LOT! I think people assume that I eat a TON of packaged snacks and that my pantry is overflowing with bags of 100-calorie chips and cookies. I guess I can understand people thinking that, because I write about that stuff all the time. The truth is, those foods don't make up a big part of my diet. I write about them so often because they are great alternatives for other high-calorie, fatty foods that people crave. Quite honestly, you don't need me or HG's daily emails to tell you to eat fruit, steamed veggies, and grilled fish. What I like to do is seek out decadent guilt-free foods that make awesome swaps for the real stuff -- things that make you feel like you're eating fattening foods when you really aren't. And 100-calorie snacks fall into that category. Sure I find myself eating mini bags of popcorn, Quaker Mini Delights, and 100 Calorie Packs of Lorna Doones every now and then, but I don't snack like that regularly (and I don't recommend that people eat that stuff all the time either). On any given day, you'd be more likely to find me snacking on apples (or other fruit -- I'm fruit-obsessed!) or turkey slices (some people might think that's a weird snack, but it works for me). I do eat a lot of VitaTops (100 calories each with a POINTS® value of 1*) -- they're my go-to desserty treats. (Click here for a free shipping promo going on right now!) You get a lot of bang for your calorie buck with those -- they're pretty large, they taste like cake, they're loaded with fiber, and they're low in fat. Chips, even baked or popped ones, are my downfall. If I open a bag -- no matter how large or small -- I have a hard time not finishing it. So I try to avoid eating lots of 'em on a regular basis. There it is... Happy snacking!