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Jul 10
Marketing genius. That’s how I would describe the latest trend at the grocery store. Have you noticed all the packages of 100 calorie ‘treats’? Makers of ‘less than healthy’ food are taking a chance that even those with iron will power will allow a 100 calorie treat. Everything from chocolate bars to candy to potato chips is being packaged in these convenient sized packages. Let’s look at the pros and cons….
Cons…
Usually the food packaged this way is not very satisfying and will only trigger a ‘give me more!’ response. Honestly, can you stop at one bag? The theory of portion control that this packaging provides is only going to help if you at stop at one package.
Packaged food generally is carbohydrate based and will produce a blood sugar spike and insulin dump. This means that the 100 calorie snack pack has just been deposited as junk in your trunk. When you snack you need fibre to fill you up, protein and healthy fats to stabilize blood sugar. A good rule of thumb for healthy snacking is to include these three things to help you feel satisfied longer.
Are you on a budget? Remember you’re paying for a ton of packaging. And our landfills are full enough as it is.
Pros…
Many dieters did the happy dance when they saw that they could enjoy their favourite treats and still count calories.
If you can stop at one package, you can enjoy a treat and not completely blow your diet. If you aren’t tempted by cracking open more packages, you have automatic portion control.
The foods offered in these packages should probably be limited in their quantity of consumption anyway, so the automatic portion control is a built in reminder of how much you should eat.
That’s all I can think of for the pros. Any other suggestions on why these are worth while? Make a comment!
I’m NOT a big fan of this trend mostly because I prefer not to eat processed foods. All these offerings are highly processed and low on nutrition. Most of us should concentrate our daily calories on nutritionally dense foods. Often the difference between weight loss and maintenance is 100 calories, or a handful of crackers, so we have little wiggle room if we want to stick to our goals. Why make it easier to eat foods that don’t pack a nutritional punch? If I’m going to over eat by 100 calories, I’d rather have an extra bowl of blueberries or something that my body will gain some nutrition from.
Now, I’m not completely a saint when it comes to nutrition and sometimes I just need to indulge. On those cheat days, I’m going to treat myself with what I want, (like dark chocolate!), but I plan my cheat days so that they’re few and far between, like maybe once a week. Honestly, as you clean up your diet, your cheat days may become fewer because the enjoyment you gain from eating this kind of food is overpowered by how badly your body feels for indulging: bloated and lethargic, not how you want to live your life.
How about making your own 100 calorie snacks? You can make your own snacks that are less expensive, won’t produce a ton of waste, healthier, and will keep you satisfied so you can stay on your fitness and fat loss plan. Try one of these:
Low-fat cottage cheese (4 oz): 80 calories
Skim milk latte (8 oz): 85 calories
Air-popped popcorn (3 cups or 1 oz): 95 calories
Graham crackers (8 small rectangles): 100 calories
Thin pretzel sticks (48 sticks or 1 oz): 100 calories
Celery (5 pieces) with peanut butter (1 Tbsp): 100 calories
An apple (small) with low-fat cheese (2 oz): 150 calories
Baby carrots (10) with hummus (1/4 cup): 150 calories
Half an apple with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
An orange and a few dry-roasted nuts
10 cashew nuts
10 almonds
Half a small avocado
3 ounces cooked whole-grain noodles with 1 fresh tomato and 1/2 ounce hard cheese
4 mini rice cakes with 2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese
3 ounces low-fat cottage cheese and 3 whole-wheat crackers
1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing with mixed raw veggies
6 Wheat Thins crackers with two teaspoons of peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce with 1 slice of whole-wheat toast, cut into 4 strips for dunking
2 large graham cracker squares with 1 teaspoon peanut butter
3 handfuls of unbuttered popcorn, seasoned with herbs
4-6 ounces of no-fat or low-fat yogurt
5-ounce tossed salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and 1/4 cup fat-free dressing
Half a “finger” of string cheese with 4 whole-wheat crackers
Want a diet plan that will include some of your favorite foods while you still drop fat? Take a look at my friend, Joel Marion’s “Cheat Your Way Thin”.
My passion is teaching people how to work fitness into their daily lifestyle in order to improve their quality of life. Let’s work together to help you reach your fitness goals!
great options for snacks, thanks. I use the prepackages to go with apples, carrots and hummus, string cheese, etc for my kids home from college on their way off to work. ( : It’s easy for both of us and a small treat for my kids who suffer with dorm food all year long.
You’re right, there are a few healthy choices with pre-packaged foods, but you have to look for them. Thanks for pointing that out.
What are your thoughts on Protien bars and shakes that are prepackaged? I often don’t like to eat breakfast and grab a protien drink as I head out the door to drink on the way to the barn. After barn chores I then feel like eating, which I usually bring fruits and nuts…maybe a latte for a pick me up! then I start riding…
Great question Tracee, thanks for asking! I’m not big on protein bars unless I”m in a situation that there’s no other food choices, like when I travel. You have to be really careful with the nutritional breakdown on protein bars as some of them are very high in carbs, and my dietitian suggests that the nutritional breakdown isn’t even that accurate. So, bars are my last choice.
But, I have to admit that I am a shake girl myself. If you have a good quality protein supplement that digests well for you, I love to throw some in my magic bullet with spinach and fresh fruit for a super fast and nutritionally packed breakfast. Your snack of fruit and nuts later in the morning is a good choice too. Be careful on the quantity if you’re trying to drop some fat though, as it’s super easy to over eat on nuts as they are concentrated calories and good fat. Try to keep your fruit to low glycemic choices as well (fore go the ripe bananas, grapes and tropical fruits and choose apples, oranges, peaches, kiwis, berries).
Hope that helps and again, thanks for asking! We need to share on the blog so others can benefit.
Thanks Shawna for bringing light to the low calorie snack foods. They are all highly processed and rarely provide much for nutritional value. Thanks for giving healthy alternatives. Regarding protein bars there is a brand called Vega and the creator of the bars is a professional athlete. Canadian Brendan Brazier started making the bars at home and now they are commercially made. Check them out!!
Yep, you’re right Lisa, no nutrition in those snacks. I’ll look up the Vega bars. Thanks.
wheat grain cereal with vanilla almond milk
Great info! I completely avoid packaged foods anyway, but your 100 calorie alternative suggestions are super!
Thanks Sara, glad that these suggestions will help you.
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
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Shawna-Just went to the doc yesterday. I had some test for Choleterol & Thyroid done. I was called in because I’m a concern for high cholesterol level. Here are my results total cholesterol level is 7.26,LDL-4 95,HDL-1.21, Triglycerides-2.42, My thyroid was 10.1, My doctor wants me to goon medication to get my cholesterol level under control. But my question is there any other way i can fix this problem without doing that. I walk three days out of a week. I have some active kids so i;m always doing something with them outside. Can you help me. Or should i just face the facts & take the medication. Please let me know what you think. Dianne
Dianne,
I’m not a doctor and you should totally discuss this before making a decision about meds. Some doctors will advocate modifying your nutrition and adding exercise for up to 3 months before starting meds. I’m not sure you’d be a candidate for this so PLEASE discuss with your doctor. If you have a history of coronary heart disease, this isn’t an option, go with the meds.
Another option is to start the meds AND modify diet and add exercise. You may find that you can reduce meds over time. Good luck. Keep us posted.