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.

So how can they make people overeat?

According to a study from Arizona State University, 100-calorie snack packs actually boost consumption by just the type of people likely to buy these snacks – chronic dieters.

When faced with 200 calories worth of regular-sized M&M’s versus the same caloric amount of mini-M&M’s packaged into four baggies, 18% of chronic dieters polished off all the mini-M&M packages while only 4% did so when regular sized candies were offered in a larger package. Non-chronic dieters (people who don’t yo-yo diet and don’t have emotional ties to food) did the opposite. Over 30% ate more regular-sized candies from the larger package.

According to the researchers, this eating behavior is a result of a direct conflict with people’s expectations of smaller food in smaller packages having less calories. So big things – like calories - still come in small packages!

Do we even need to mention the ingredients?

When it comes to nutrition, these snacks don’t offer much beyond white flour, sugar and, you guessed it, 100 calories. Highly processed foods with a lack of appetite suppressing nutrients such as fiber, protein, and healthy fats should be the new tag line across the front of these packages. They don’t fill you up like some of the examples below so you might be tempted to reach for a second package.

Examples of “real” 100 calorie snacks…

Anyone can make their own 100 calorie snacks that contain some protein, fiber, and carbohydrates along with healthy amounts of fat. Here are some of my favorites that I like to throw together in a pinch:

* 12 ounces of skim milk
* 1 cup of fresh cherries
* 1/2 a cantaloupe (seriously, it’s mostly water)
* 1 packet of regular instant oatmeal
* 1 cup of peanuts + 2 cups of dried cranberries
* 1 cup of fresh strawberries
* 15 almonds (plain without the added salt)
* 1 cup baby carrots + 2 tablespoons of humus (love this stuff so need to be careful)
* 1 large celery stalk stuffed with a tablespoon of peanut butter
* 1 medium banana
* 2 egg whites on 1 slice of whole-wheat toast (#1 on my list)

The nutritious snacks above are just a few options to help you keep your appetite in check during the day. For more ideas check out our Six-Pack Quest Review. Vince DelMonte’s chapter on meal plans is one of the most detailed I’ve seen with plenty of options to satisfy even the most fickle eaters in the crowd.