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100-Calorie Snack Packs - Worth it?

Diet & Weight Loss

Ziploc is marketing a new snack bag sized for a pack-and-go 100 calories, and food corporations have been touting 100-calorie-shot salty and sweet carbs in feather-light bags for awhile now. Worth it? FitSugar recently asked readers if the 100-calorie Ziploc bags were cool or not cool, and the vote is about split.

One commenter pointed out 100-calorie snack portions are not all the same -- consumers stuffing this bag full with mixed nuts or dried fruit will swallow way more than 100 calories. And plastic bags won't save the planet. How about some self-control and a piece of fresh fruit or tupperware full of fresh veggies instead?

What's your favorite 100-calorie or so snack to keep you thin? Ziploc says about 28 grapes, 2 tablespoons of mixed nuts and one small orange are good choices, but how about this -- a fresh apple served with an iPod and treadmill.

Here are a few more 100-calorie snacks over at AOL Health.

Tricks to Avoid Halloween Candy

Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation

This just in: Candy will still be available after Halloween! Here are tips to help you avoid being "tricked" by candy and to let you indulge in a treat that won't wreak havoc on your good habits.

1. Give the treat of healthier snacks.

The grocery shelves are crammed with 100-calorie snack packs that are healthier options than candy. Snacks like pretzels, roasted nuts and baked chips and crackers are better options than some candies, and if you indulge in a pack, too, you can do it guilt-free.

2. Recognize your intent.
"Sometimes it's not the candy we want at all; we are just craving a particular feeling, like comfort or excitement," said Pam Wood, a Weight Watchers meeting leader in Austin, Texas. "We need to ask ourselves, 'What is it that I really want to satisfy: the craving for the candy or the craving to feel fabulous?'" If it's the latter, she advises that you say "no" to the candy and determine the best way to satisfy your true desires. If it is candy, go ahead and have a small piece to satisfy the craving.

The Daily Turn On! Need somethin' sweet? Try this ...

Life is too short not to be fully "turned on." The Daily Turn On! energizes all aspects of "you." Every Monday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will provide you with ideas and tips to awaken your mind, your body and your life as you journey through each day of the week! Check in each Monday to get your tip for Turning On every day of your life.

We all have our moments when we need sugar! It is okay to give in to the craving, just be smart about it. Check out these diet-friendly desserts ...

100-Calorie Snack Attack
  1. Brownie Goodness. Yum! I love brownies! Well, really who doesn't? Glenny's Brownies are 75% organic, and at only 100 calories your taste buds and your body will both love you!
  2. Smoothie Soothing. These 90-calorie treats soothe your sugar craving. Lightfull Satiety Smoothie comes in lots of yummy flavors such as café latte, chocolate or strawberry flavors. Yummy and good for you.
  3. Scoop of Goodness. Frozen treats are a summer must. Check out Hola Fruta's. Pomegranate & Blueberry Pure Fruit Sherbet is as yummy as it is super low-cal. With only 75 calories per serving, you can even splurge and have two!
  4. Have your cake ... and eat it too. Never quite understood this saying. I mean, really? Who wants to have cake and not eat it? Fortunately, Hostess now offers three mini carrot cakes (my personal fave) with cream cheese icing (yummy!) in a scrumptious 100-calorie pack.
For more tips on 100-calorie, diet-friendly sweeties, check out AOLHealth.

Source

Shape's best snack awards

Nutrition & Supplements

Snacking can be part of a healthy diet. In fact, having a healthy snack in between meals can help tide you over as well as stabilize your blood sugar. The trick is to choose foods that satisfy, curb whatever cravings you have, and are nutritious and tasty. While your best bets for snacks are fruits, veggies, and other nutrient-dense foods, Shape Magazine has compiled a list of 25 handy snacks that won't derail your diet.

Personally, I don't agree with all of their choices. I'm not a fan of the 100-calorie snack packs. Yes, the calories are controlled, but it's still just junk in a bag. And frankly, most of them don't taste as good as their higher calorie counterparts. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a smaller quantity and better taste. And I'd prefer to see more items on their list that do more for your health than just curb your hunger.

But if you've got a bad case of the munchies, then Shape's top 25 are for you. The criteria they used for picking the top snacks include less than 200 calories per serving, no trans-fat and low in saturated fat, less than 400 milligrams of sodium, and other nutritional extras (portion control, whole grains, etc.).

Source

Are 100-calorie snack packs banging you for your buck?

Womens Health, HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

If someone were to try to sell you a product you normally buy -- but, they offer you less of the product and at a higher cost -- would you buy it?

Of course you wouldn't. Or would you? In fact, maybe you already have, but just don't realize it. Well, if you've purchased a box of 100-calorie snack packs recently, I'm sorry to say that your mistake cost you. Quite a bit, actually. The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently released some figures on this matter, revealing that consumers are spending a great deal of money for the convenience of pre-packaged portions.

Here's a quick look at how much more some of these 100-packs are actually costing you (based on how much bang you are getting for your buck).

Chex Mix - 248 percent
Goldfish Pretzels - 196 percent
Oreo Cookies/Thin Crisps - 187 percent
Pringles - 163 percent
Doritos - 148 percent
Cheetos - 118 percent


And so on and so forth. (For a look at the entire list, click here).

Frankly, I'm not much of a fan of these 100-calorie snack packs for any reason, price gouging certainly notwithstanding. They offer almost no nutritional value, not to mention that they usually contain a fair amount of sugar and sodium. And, let's face it, how many people actually eat only one of those damn packs? It's very easy to turn 100 into two or three hundred calories, while at the same time spiking blood glucose and insulin levels. Not a good thing if weight loss is your goal. And if saving money is your other goal, there's reason number two not to buy these 100-calorie crap packs.

Source

Don't buy it

Womens Health, HealthWatch, Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Just a word or two on those 100-calorie snack-packs ...

You've seen them, I'm sure. You may have even tried them. The marketing mavens over at Nabisco have effectively branded them as "Smart Packs." If you visit the Nabisco website, you'll also see that they've started what they call a "Snack Purple" initiative, audaciously assigning a color to this food as if it were a legitimate awareness campaign.

But, tastelessness aside (not the food, but the marketing of said food), the bigger problem with these 100-calorie packs -- be them Oreos, Lorna Dunes, Teddy Grahams, Ritz Crackers, or Chips Ahoy Cookies -- is that they have almost no nutritional value. Though you may be keeping your calorie count down by eating one of these packs instead of a traditional size bag of cookies or crackers, you're still consuming empty calories. A much better option would be to eat an apple. This truly healthy snack will only cost you about 65 calories, while at the same time providing you with a fair amount of fiber, potassium and a healthy amount of vitamin A.

So, "Snack Purple" if you want. Enter all the sweepstakes, buy all the purple shirts, watch all the uplifting video stories on their website, and eat those 100-calorie packs. But I urge you, do it because you like the taste of cookies and crackers, not because you've been led to believe that you're making a healthy choice.
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