It seems like every processed food item has a 100 calorie package version out on the market these days. I saw Doritos, Oreos, and every major chocolate bar touting 100 calories on the front side of their respective packages while standing in line at the supermarket last week. Ah… isn’t that sweet. They’re doing the portion control for me in an effort to help me eat less. Sure, I’ve got room for you guys in my shopping cart. Hop right in…

[The staple of low calorie snacking... popcorn. Put your hand-up if you can taste the difference between plain unsalted or unsweetened popcorn and styrofoam? That's why it's usually loaded with large amounts of additives!]

I thought smaller portion size was good? What gives?

When mindless eating takes over, yes absolutely, these packages are a great idea. Forcing a person to take the additional action of getting up and opening a new pack to continue snacking is powerful and works a hell of lot better then putting on the mental brakes in front of an already opened 450 gram bag of chips. But according to some research, such awareness doesn’t necessarily prevent overeating. (more…)