Yesterday I came across an interesting article on 100-calorie packs! You may have also noticed the Tip of the Day mentioned it too.
Kraft was the first company to pioneer the 100-calorie packs and they made an estimated 75 million off them in the first year alone. Even the Girl Scouts are banking in on the trend. I admit, when I first saw them, I thought they were the greatest idea. The only thing that prevented me from buying them much was the fact that I was a student and couldn’t afford much for groceries. When I did buy the packs I would often eat 3 in one sitting because I just didn’t feel full!
Have you ever opened all of the 100-calorie pack bags and dumped it into a bowl? Not exactly getting the best bang for your buck!
However, that didn’t stop me from buying those 100-calorie chocolate bars- the Cadbury Thin. Eric would say to me each time, “You know you are paying the price of a regular chocolate bar, but they are only giving you half of one?” He was right, and I admitted defeat to the chocolate mastermind.
They even came up with clever ads to market to women only:
But those days are now long behind me. I chose not to buy 100-calorie packs and instead eat whole, real foods free of chemicals, high fructose corn syrup, and the like. It is also so much more cost efficient to buy in bulk, and better yet, to make your own food when possible. And let’s be honest, the 100-calorie packs aren’t doing anything for the environment.
100-calorie packs do work for some people and I know that many people swear by them for potion control. I guess it just depends on the person and what you take from it.
The study mentioned in this article is quite interesting!
- The study, led by researcher Marcia Mogelonsky created two groups of participants
- One group was given 100-calorie packs and the other was given potato chips that were in regular sized bags
- Both groups were put in front of a television
- The results were simple: Participants who were given the 100-calorie packs consumed more food than the group who wasn’t.
- It is thought that when people eat what is perceived to be a ‘diet food’ it gives them a license to eat more and they feel less guilt
I thought these results were really interesting however I think the study is a bit flawed because they should have created a 3rd group who ate from the same size bag as the 100-calorie bag, but didn’t label it as so. This 3rd group could serve as a control to see whether it was in fact the words 100-calorie on the bag that gave them the desire to eat more, or if it was simply the small serving that tricked them into thinking they weren’t eating much.
Today’s question: What are your thoughts on 100-calorie packs? Do you think they are a fad that will soon fade out? Do you see companies creating more 100-calorie packs for different products? Have you ever been lured into buying 100-calorie packs?
I liked the idea of the portion size, but like you said I often ate more than one. While recovering from an eating disorder, I remember one time that I binged on them. I ate an entire box (6 bags!). I felt AWFUL after, but in my mind, at least it wasn’t an entire box of the same cookies.
So I’m not really sure where I stand on them. I feel they could be great for someone who is learning how to eat again, but at the same time, I no longer make room for them in my diet. I realized they were doing more harm than good. Like you said, because they were ONLY 100 calories, I felt it was okay to eat more than one.
I would rather eat 100 calories of whole grains and things that will fill me up, rather than 100 calories of processed junk!
I agree with everyone else (mostly). I would rather eat 100 calories of real food then 100 calories of garbage.
We eat well, but sometimes I buy quick snacks for the kids’ lunches. Because I had a coupon and they were cheap, I ended up buying Kudos bars that were labeled “100 calories” which kind of annoyed me. I know they’re not the healthiest, but to put that label to make it seem healthier is a scam.
We buy almonds in bulk, and I was shocked to see 100 cal packs of almonds.
I am so proud of my kids because they make healthy choices and stop eating when they’re full. They’ve learned to eat in moderation and not be part of the clean plate club. They even read ingredients.
I used to buy 100 calorie snacks because they seemed “safe” to me. I admit that I was not satisfied after eating them, but felt that I did not trust myself enough to exercise willpower and portion control! I don’t buy them anymore, and prefer to pre-portion my own snacks .. but I do really like those little bags of popcorn that come in around 100 calories each .. perfect personal size!!
Hmmm, maybe I don’t have self control issues but it’s never even crossed my mind to eat more than 1 pack in a sitting. I buy the 100 cal cheese nips every now and then because I enjoy a handful of cheese nips and an apple as a snack every once in a while and if I were to buy a box of cheese crackers they would go stale waaaay before I finished the box. I also buy the Kashi individual pack crackers for the same reason; I cannot finsih a full box before they go stale.
i see im a little late on this but in a food network show called Food Detectives, they placed reduced fat cheese crackers in identical bags and split the groups into to and just told them to watch a movie. They told the first group they were eating a reduced fat snack and didnt tell the other group anything. At the end of the experiment, they collected the crackers left on both sides and the side that are the so called REGULAR crackers at less than the reduced fat snackers.
interesting!