One-hundred calorie snack packs have attracted some fit fans, like Bob from The Biggest Loser, but these prepackaged snacks also have their share of haters. Consumer Reports criticized these low calorie portions in its December issue and concluded there are more reasons to skip these snacks than to scoop them.
The argument against 100-cal packs includes gripes like the fact that many of the products barely resemble the product they are supposed to imitate — for example, the Oreo snack packs. There are no creamy middles to be licked and a snacker may feel like the chocolate crackers she consumed wasn't even worth those 100-calories. Consumer Reports does give credit to the Cheez-It Right Bites and Doritos Nacho Cheese Mini Bites, saying those are the only two that are true taste replicas of the original.
Do you buy 100-calorie snack packs or do you pass them by?
O'Neill
City Walk
Maine New England
100 calories of junk food is not good for you because it's only 100 calories. These foods are still over-processed and devoid of any nutritional value. I wouldn't want 5 calories of it! It's much wiser to eat a few more calories of a nutritious food than 100 calories of "food product." See my blog post Confessions of an Ex-Calorie Counter.
Emily
1of the Healthy Eating Blog
Studies show that people eat more with the 100 calorie packs. The servings are unsatisfying and people can think that if 1 was okay, 2 or 3 can't be so bad.
On the other hand, they just came out with a Cheetos 100 calorie pack, which is spot-on to the original. Maybe my opinion will change.
2No, I find them totally unsatisfying. They don't taste like the real thing, they're not filling, and an actual serving of something like tortilla chips with hummus generally doesn't have many more calories.
3i love the oreo 100 calorie snack packs - mostly because i'm not a fan of the icing in real oreos!
4i just love the cookie part
I've tried a few 100 calorie packs (my mom and sister swear by them) and I have found that there are only two kinds that I like the taste of and am satisfied after eating them.
One is the Reeses sweet and salty pack. And the other is a cheez-it one that is a mix of other things like pretzels and such (sorry I can't remember the actual name of that one).
Either way, I never eat more than one of them and I find that it is a nice and easy go-to snack when you're a little hungry but don't want a full-on snack or meal. I don't regularly buy them because it's much cheaper to just bring an apple, but I do get them sometimes.
5woah! sorry for the bold!
need more coffee
6for me its the excess packaging that has always kept me away--it seems wasteful. i guess i figured if i was going to "binge" on lots of cookies, putting additional wrappers in the way isn't exactly fort knox (and perhaps like you mentioned i would just eat 2 packages). if i want a 100 calorie snack, i just eat 100 calories of the real snack that i want. training ourselves to recognize realistic portions is important for a healthy diet, anyway. so...i guess, personally, i'm not a fan
7I think they are rather bland/boring and I totally agree with tsp that it's super wasteful! I'm totally capable of rationing out a single serving size or 100 calories of something else (more nutritional like emilyplayscello pointed out). My sis and best friend are obsessed with 100 calorie packs though.
8i find that keebler makes good 100 calories called right bites they have those fudge strip cookies exact replicas of the larger version only mini. i guess if your one of those people who need junk food but don't want to throw your diet out the window these are good. they work for me... but i guess its also self control to not eat more than one.
9I only buy these when i can buy them individually. Otherwise, i'll eat the whole box of 100 calorie packs in one sitting thus making my 100 calorie snack a 500-600 calorie meal.
10I only buy these when i can buy them individually. Otherwise, i'll eat the whole box of 100 calorie packs in one sitting thus making my 100 calorie snack a 500-600 calorie meal.
11I don't really care to be bothered with those when I could out together my own snack with food I'll actually like that also has more nutrition in it. I'm also more satisfied and filled up with real food than junk foods.
12not a fan of those things. if i want to snack, i'm gonna have what i crave. ill put in the extra half hour on the treadmill if i have to.
13love em!
14The orea 100 cal packs are not satisfying at all. The only ones I buy now are the chocolate covered pretzles or ones from Trader Joes. They have yummy ones there.
15My mom turned me on to these and i love them but I do not make a regular habit of buying them
16I have never understood this concept. Like someone else mentioned, the packaging is wasteful, and you're paying extra for "portion control" (assuming you can control yourself from a second snack pack...)
Better idea: Buy an economical, bigger version of the item you want to snack on, then divide that bag into sandwich bags or tupperwares with only 100 (or whatever) cals in it. I do this all the time using fat free store-brand pretzels that cost $2 for 1 lb of snacks!
17I'd rather have 100 calories of the real thing. The 100 calorie pack aren't satisfying either way you look at them - just as a snack in itself or comparing them to the originals.
18I like the taste of some of them, but all the packaging and the cost get to me. I have no problems putting a few crackers, nuts, cookies etc in a little container to take with me instead.
19Surprisingly, I love these. I've got a 5.5 hour computer lab on Thursdays, and I always get a craving for something sweet about halfway through. If I pack one of these (preferably the unbelievably delicious Golden Oreo ones), I can satisfy the craving without trekking to the vending machine for a chocolate bar or similar. For someone who's pitfall is snacking, these are a life saver.
20So not satisfying. I've bought some in the past just to give them a try but as other people mentioned they don't truly hit the spot of the craving for the original. And if you have one you're more than likely to have another pack since it's "only 100 calories". the only 100 cal box i do get is the Kudos one, but that hasn't been on my list for a while. Terrible if you're addicted to chocolate and see only 100 cals scrawled on the box. hello binge. lol.
21No never have and never will, I know I won't be satisfied and it is still unhealthy
22Love these! They are easy to pack along with my lunch and are a nice little treat after eating an otherwise healthy meal! I usually take them to go so I don't risk going through the box in one go! And I agree with Flack, the Golden Oreo ones are delicious!!
23The cheetos are really good. But I try not to eat them a lot.
24I don't really eat the types of foods that come in "100 calorie" packs anyway, so I definitely don't buy the packs. Not only is it justifying eating crap, it's wasteful and costs WAY more. I usually eat my own "100 calorie" packs: an apple or a yogurt or a small piece of cheese. You can't go wrong with unprocessed foods, IMHO.
25I do buy them. My faves are the Keebler right bites in fudge stripe cookies and the shortbread. I also love the weight watchers 1 point snacks.
26I think I have tried them all but there are only 3 that I buy on a regular basis: Planters Peanut Butter Cookie Crisps, Cheetos Baked Crunchy snack and Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk Mini Cookies . These are the only ones that I thought tasted right.
27I don't like these- they cost more than just buying a regular pack and making your own snack pack by putting it into zip lock bags.
28No. I don't eat processed foods. Also, I don't snack either. I eat three full meals a day, and I'm satisfied.
29I actually buy a lot of 100 calorie packaged foods because I like them. There is a chocolate covered pretzel version that is quite good, and the 100 cal cans of soda are good for when I want that taste, but not a whole can.
30I don't buy them.
If I'm going to eat Oreos, or whatever else comes in those packs, I already know that it's not good for me. Eating them is not really going to help me stay healthy.
If I want to eat those things, I will enjoy them (probably more than 100 calories' worth), and rebudget the rest of my daily diet accordingly.
I don't really have a taste for that kind of food anymore, though, so...yeah.
31God just eat one or two god damn cookie once in a while when you crave it..and you won't stuff your face with 10 or 15...because you have denied yourself for 3 months and can't stop thinking about it
32I don't think they are satisfying at all nor filling. Thus, I end up eating more then I probably would have consumed had I just broke down and gotten the real thing.
33I understand the convenience of having the math already done with these snacks, but they are not very satisfying. Especially the Oreo one! I'd rather have the real thing and watch my portions.
34They're not filling enough.
35No- I much prefer my Sabra Hummus and pretzel chips packs. They do have way more calories, 230-290, I can't remember, but they are as filling as a small meal, take a long time to eat and have a bit of nutrition. Fruit always works too. Seriously watching people eat these things makes me cranky!
36I don't do the snack packs, I'd rather get the full amount of a bag or box and divvy it up daily. However, I learned about the 100 calorie snack packs of microwave popcorn and I keep a box of them at school. I don't eat them frequently, and I can NEVER eat a full-sized bag of popcorn (nor do I want to), but the 100 calorie snack packs are the perfect size. And they're tasty!
37Those 100-calorie snack packs are too expensive for this little bird! And they are totally void of nutritional value. I prefer to munch on my broccoli or a big hunk of green apple! Woo hoo!
38I don't like the junk food 100-cal packs, but some of them are not entirely without nutritional value, Bibi the bird. I regularly buy Craisin packs and whole-wheat fig newtons, which are pretty healthy as far as snacks go anyway. (It's so darn difficult to put a banana in my backpack without one of my huge textbooks landing on it and smooshing it, otherwise I'd be a bananaholic!)
39I hate them. I've bought them before, and they definitely don't satisfy my sweet tooth. I'd rather buy a low-fat fudge bar or eat fruit.
40I don't buy them but the DH does, but I'm slowly getting him to buy a regular package and divide them up himself. These are so expensive!
41i don't buy into all this. if i count the callories i'll do it myself. it actually works better, as you see how little 100 is... it really freaked my out when i was counting.
42They taste awful and it is still processed food...get a bit of a real good european cookie with real dark chocolate and you will be satisfied...imo
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