This is the latest food rage.  One hundred calorie snack packs that are convenient, taste good and keeps you from blowing your diet.  Right?  May be not.  What is exactly in those 100 calorie snack packs may surprise you.

Let’s take a look at fat and sugar content on these tasty snacks. 
100 calorie candy bites

 100 calories, not bad

4 grams of fat, each gram containing 9 calories = 36 calories from fat.  To calculate the percentage of calories from fat you would divide 36 calories/100 total calories, then multiply by 100.  This is a whopping 36% of the calories are from fat.  It is recommended by the American Heart Association, your fat intake should be less than 30% calories from fat.  A good portion of what is making this item taste sooo good is almost 40% of the calories come from fat.  This snack item is not a low fat food item, if you are watching your calories and fat intake.  Low fat is defined as having less than 3 grams of fat per serving.  This snack item has 4 grams of fat.  That may not sound like a huge difference, but when you are counting every gram, they add up very quickly. 

Let’s take a look at the sugar content of this same snack item.  There are 17 grams of carbohydrate with 11 grams of this is sugar.  Each gram is 4 calories and this item has 44 calories from sugar - add this to the fat calories and you now almost have all 100 calories from fat and sugar (80 calories total).  What exactly does this do for your body?

Sugar provides great taste and texture to food items.  Baked goods brown better, melt in your mouth from fat and sugar; and the taste provides variety in your diet.  Outside of providing a taste experience, sugar is stored as fat, if it is not used immediately for energy.  Wow, this defeats the purpose of managing your calories and fat in order to lose weight –> ultimately body fat! 

Also, sugar can be quite addictive for some people.  There is a group in New York state, who treat sugar like alcohol and have developed a 12 step program to overcome your addiction.  By consuming foods rich in sugar, you are setting yourself up for energy lows and fixing them with a quick pick me up.  Plus, how many of us find ourselves eating more than one package?  They taste really good and they are only 100 calories, so they will not blow your diet, wrong!  One hundred calories can quickly add up.  If you have a package with lunch, one for an afternoon snack and then your last package before bedtime, that adds up to 300 calories that have no real nutritional value.  Most of these snacks are made with enriched flour, sugar, and preservatives.  Where is the fiber, calcium, vitamin A, and iron?  They just are not present in quantities that deem these snacks as being healthy.  Good tasting yes, but great for the diet, no. 

You say to yourself, “what am I to have now!?”  Try 6-8 ounce cup of yogurt that does not contain added sugar flavorings.  The new light yogurts are great because they only contain 60-100 calories per serving and are loaded with calcium, protein and healthy carbs for energy.  Try making your own 100 calorie snacks like these:

 3 tablespoons of hummus with carrots and celery (1/2 cup total vegetables) ~106 calories, monounsaturated fat and vitamin A

1 4 oz container of Lightnfit +0% yogurt with 1/4 cup Kashi GoLean cereal ~110 calories, rich in calcium

1 cup blueberries and chopped mango ~100 calories, rich in vitamin A, C and phytonutrients

2 tablespoons of Cool Whip with sugar-free Hunt’s black cherry gelatin snack ~35 calories - best snack I ever had!

So as you can see, there are healthier options for snacks.  On occasion, the 100 calorie snack packs are fine.  As a regular snack, you should seek out items that are truly beneficial to your body.

By Cydney Walker- Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer