Eat This, Skip That at Parties

Eat Nuts, Not Chips

Enjoy a handful of unsalted nuts; skip the potato chips.

An ounce of salted potato chips -- that's only about 10-15 chips -- has 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 170 mg of sodium. Because the chips are often paired with a high-fat creamy dip, your total calorie and sodium intake can end up being much higher. A small handful of nuts is similar in calories but contains mostly unsaturated fats that can improve HDL (good) cholesterol. Walnuts, in particular, are high in heart-healthy polyunsaturated fat.