100 Calorie Snack Items
How do you do with those 100-calorie pre-portioned snacks? Personally I’ve done well with this notion for years and encourage it with my clients. What really surprises me though, is that not everyone does this well with that idea. A study in the Netherlands states that, “people actually consume more high-calorie snacks when they are in small packages than large ones. And smaller packages make people more likely to give into temptation in the first place.” Apparently the smaller packages represented “innocent pleasures” and people end up eating more of them. To avoid that it would probably be in a your best interest to leave the empty bag in a visible location as a reminder that you’ve already indulged.
I honestly think if you are really concerned about overindulging with a particular food in general 100 calorie packs can really be helpful but if you are not really paying much attention to your weight/health then you probably will perceive them as less of a threat, which is pretty much what the study was saying as well. And as the study indicated, "Maybe the answer lies in consumers taking responsibility for their consumption and monitoring internal cues of sufficiency, rather than letting package size take control…." (Just for a reality check most of those little 100 calorie snacks are worth about one and a half servings of grains and/or maybe an extra fat, and most of them are just empty calories. You could choose one nice big crunchy apple instead which is much more nutritious and filling!)
Readers what keeps your portions reasonable with your favorite snack items?
older posts
Posted by: whizkidforte | Feb 10, 2009 12:57:56 PM
That's what I'm about to blurb! I have a ziploc bag to store 5 dried apricots sans sucree and 10 almonds! The latter seems to tide me over the most, since they're packed with MUFAs (the monounsaturated fats) and protein. My combination's great for after a workout!
Posted by: CJ | Oct 17, 2008 9:00:12 AM
I like the 100 calorie portions because it helps me know exactly what I'm eating. And they're perfect for brown bagging.
143pounds.com
Posted by: Allison | Oct 16, 2008 5:52:09 PM
I like to get out everything I am going to eat for a meal or snack at the start of it and pre-portion it out, that way I know thats as much as I am allowed to have. If I leave out a box or crackers or chips I normally end up just munching and not really looking at what I am eating.
I am not really a big fan of apples but I love to eat them with peanut butter! I also pre-portion this out so that I don't eat to much, but it is a very rewarding and delicious snack!
