Snacking on healthy, low-calorie foods can help you control the number of calories you eat throughout the day or at one sitting. A November 2009 study by the International Food Information Council Foundation reports that 94 percent of Americans eat snacks a minimum of one time throughout the day. When choosing snacks, you can use prepackaged 100-calorie snacks or prepare your own 100- calorie snacks.
Benefits
Keeping your snacks to 100 calories limits the number of extra calories you eat between meals. Giving yourself permission to eat a set number of calories for snacks may help you avoid feeling deprived, especially if you are limiting your calories while on a weight-loss diet. If you choose prepackaged 100-calorie snack bags of crackers or other foods, you have built-in portion control, provided you do not eat more than one bag during snack time. Making your own 100-calorie snacks allows you to control the fat or sodium content, as well as eating 100 calories from healthy natural carrots, mini-bagels or fruits.
Prepackaged vs. Home-Prepared
Prepackaged snacks are generally more expensive than home-prepared snacks, as you pay for the convenience of the small, portioned packaging. Additionally, although the calories in the two different types of snacks may be the same, snacks you purchase may contain trans or saturated fats and use large amounts of sodium as a preservative or as a seasoning. Controlling your calories is important, but no more important than avoiding high-sodium or high-fat foods, as excessive consumption of both can lead to heart disease or high blood pressure.
Types
The types of 100-calorie snacks you may choose are almost limitless, as you can package or divide higher-calorie foods, such as cheese or nuts, into 100-calorie portions. If you choose prepackaged 100-calorie snacks, you may find that many of the snacks are simply small portions of the manufacturer's regular-sized food items. Examples of prepackaged snacks include cookies, crackers and chips. Make yourself a dairy-based 100-calorie snack using 1/2 cup of nonfat cottage cheese and four whole-grain crackers, a whole-grain snack with rye crisps or a fruit or vegetable cup with nonfat dips. Add some protein to your snack by eating half a banana and 1/2 tbsp. of chunky or creamy peanut butter.
Dietary Guidelines
Although you can choose snacks with more vitamins and nutrients when you prepare them yourself, use 100-calorie snack packs for times when you are traveling or unable to portion out 100-calorie servings yourself. If you follow a 2,000-calorie diet, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicates you can have up to 266 extra calories, making two 100-calorie snacks ideal for calorie management. If you eat a later breakfast, skip your morning snack and have two snacks in the afternoon or one after dinner. Choose small snacks that fill you up, such as crunchy broccoli, smooth soy yogurt or a sweet apple.
References
- International Food Information Council Foundation; 2009 Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes Toward Food, Nutrition and Health; November 2009
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Smart Snacks
- American Heart Association: Cooking for Lower Cholesterol
- North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension; Eat Smart North Carolina: Snacks and Drinks; October 2007
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17: Energy
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