Tuesday, 21 July 2009

  • Regular Oreos or The 100-Calorie Ones? Which Is Really The One Worth Eating?


    I'm the type of person who can’t really go a day without having the mid-afternoon munchies (Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about snacking on greasy chips or sugary candies). I usually stick to healthy treats, such as celeries, baby carrots, some almonds, or soy chips. However, regardless of being a health nut, there are times when I DO crave sugary snacks.

    But thanks to Nabisco's 100 Calorie Packs, I found an easy way to secretly “cheat” without ruining my diet (with all the varieties they have, it’s impossible to write down the whole list here). So far, I've tried Oreo Thin Crisps, Chips Ahoy! Thin Crisps, and Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookie Crisps. OMG... They were absolutely scrumptious! So crunchy and yet thin enough that they literally melted in my mouth. Since each comes in “pre-packaged portion controlled snacks” and only has about (depending on the flavor) 18 grams of carbs, 7 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of total fat, I can totally call this “a guilt-free snack” that definitely satisfies my sweet tooth.

    But then I realized how each package doesn’t contain much of the Oreo Thin Crisps or Chips Ahoy Thin Crisps. I mean, I’m definitely not a big eater or anything, but for those of you who’ve tried these before, have you noticed how small the portions are? I just think for such small portion sizes, there seems to be too many calories. So basically it’s like this. When I first heard about these 100-calorie snacks, of course I thought it was such a great deal! But then, when I finished snacking on them, I just felt like I hadn’t really eaten anything, then boom! I realized I had just consumed 100 calories, but was still really hungry.

    Three Oreo cookies (not the 100-calorie pack variety) contain about 160 calories, 24 grams of carbs, 14 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of fat. So overall, I know regular Oreos certainly contain more calories than the 100-pack ones, but that is probably only because the Thin Crisps come in such tiny packages.

    What do you think of these 100-calorie pre-packaged snacks (not necessarily Nabisco’s, but any 100-calorie ones)? Do they satisfy your sweet tooth, or do they make you crave more sweet stuff?

    Do you think it’s better to just eat regular snacks with an equal number of calories?


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Comments (24)

  • blue_dragonfly420@xanga

    Don't like them 100-cal packs.  They don't satisfy me.  I do much better beating cravings if I allow myself a cookie or two and stop.  I take a 'breather' have some water with lemon/lime or a cup of green tea.  Usually the craving has been satisfied or has passed.  If I'm still that hungry I'll grab fruits/veggies.  I'm better off with the real thing because I'll feel as though it's a real treat and stop after 1-3 cookies.  The 100-cal packs just tease my sweet tooth and make me crave more sugar/cookies.
  • JustPlainMorgie@xanga

    I love those oreo 100 calorie things lol. I think there's enough though, well I haven't had them in while, but yeah.


    But if something is unhealthy to begin with I think that 100 calories is always going to be a small portion. You should see the 100 calorie little debbies... now THOSE are small.

  • Imnotcrazyjustinsane@xanga

    For cookies, I'd rather eat a regular 100-calorie portion cookie.

    but the salty snacks are a lot better in the 100-calorie packs 'cause you can actually get some food.
  • taaru@xanga

    I don't mind, really. Any is fine for me.
  • Charity_the_So_Called_Artist@xanga

    I'd rather have the real thing and savor it with some skim milk. :)
  • cutesycharm@xanga

    spoiler alert: 100 calorie packs are a scam. You get less for more money because you can't control your binges. OH, and not to mention, they are actually more than 100 calories. Try 120-150 calories. 
  • rarareplica@xanga

    meh, if you're going to eat crap, eat crap. the best way to stop craving junk food is to not eat it... it's like magic, cut it out and the cravings disappear! 
  • galadrielspitcher@xanga

    @rarareplica@xanga - it's true! when i haven't had anything sweet in a while i really don't crave it!
  • chiffon_pixie@xanga

    eh i dont like the 100 calorie packs. the regular thing in moderation is more satisfying, i find the fake junk food just leaves me wanting more. so, i wind up having five 100-calorie packs in a row before i know it (unless i just buy ONE small package at like a deli or something, if i buy a whole box, yeah it'll be gone), when if i had just eaten like regular oreos or something, it would have been way easier to stop at 2-3.


    add to that, the 100 calorie packs are just as heavily processed as oreos. i mean, im not sure on that, but i don't recognize a lot of the ingredients when i read the label, and generally i assume if i don't know what an ingredient means/is, it's probably not the best thing to put into my body lol.


    and yeah, as somebody mentioned, they have more than 100 calories. most food does, the labels underestimate the calories. i'm not sure if it's 120-150, i would need to do fat grams x9 + carbs x4 + protein x4, but i'm too lazy to calculate it right now. it's weird, ethnic foods usually have like '163 calories' on the count, and ive always wondered why american brands have EXACT calorie counts, like 150, 200, 120 etc. then, i started doing calculatons based on grams of fat, carbs and protein, and realized it's cause theyre off. usually not by tooo too much but it adds up in a day and can make a pretty decent difference in total calories consumed.


    haha, i sound way obsessed. i'm sorry, i have a thing for numbers & im rambling now.


    last thing, though, i only half-agree that if you eliminate all junk, your cravings disappear. in one sense, there's some truth to it, but it depends on how much you like a certain taste to start with, i think. i used to crave fast food a lot, because it was all my mom and i ate, but i havent eaten it in years and i dont miss it at all, or crave it. im guessing i never really liked it that much, and just liked it because it was around, so now that it isnt, it's whatever. but some stuff that i actually really like (like CHOCOLATE, yum), if i deprive myself, i wind up bingeing on it later. generally, i mostly stick to healthy foods, and try to find health-ier alternatives (like dark chocolate over milk or something) but i think if you really want that certain something, budget a small bit of it into your total intake that day. moderation really is probably the best way to do everything in life, not just food. 


    okay, done now! lol
  • xpcabocy@xanga

    I think of those snacks as more of a calorie boost in the day a pick-me-up if you will, that's not meant to feed you but give you sugar to keep you focused. 

    The Oreo 100 cal packs are good but I prefer a cold classic oreo cookie half in milk
  • xkthily@xanga

    The 100-calorie packs taste like cardboard to me. x___x
  • Erika_Steele@xanga

    Regular oreos taste better so I am going with regular.
  • Aranya668@xanga

    I dont like the 100 calorie snack packs either.  I also find that if I just had those 3 regular oreos I am fuller and happier....and probably try to not eat them as much.  The 100 calorie packs are less fulfilling, cost more and probably allow people to eat more of them since they think they are low calorie and better for you.  I mean really, how many people eat more than 1 of those snack packs a day?  And it all adds up!


    I will say however that people who really have a problem overeating can benefit the most from having small, controlled portions, but I think the average person should do without them.
  • Judio29@xanga

    I love them! They help me limit my intake. When i am done I am done, no more for me!!
  • kimjh125

    If they are "supposedly" 100-calorie snacks (seriously, who knows if they have more calories than that?), do you think it would be bad to eat it everyday? What do you guys think? 
  • innocentsecret@xanga

    i'd much rather eat a small portion of the real thing.. definitely satisfies me more. :)
  • the_forgottenangel@xanga

    England doesn't really do the 100 calorie snack pack things yet. But I would pick the chips ahoy they look nicer than oreos. I had a 97 calorie toffee crisp last month it was just a smaller version of the normal one, they now have 154 calories in them they made them bigger.
  • Sugarling@xanga

    the cheez-its 100 cal packs actually have a lot of cheez its in them. xD It may be because I'm not the world's biggest fan of of cheez its, but sometimes I get to a point in the pack where I feel I can't finish it!
  • lil_ziv_7@xanga

    I'd eat the regular oreos and if im health concious, or at least watching calories id watch the number of oreos.

  • SykoA@xanga

    Those 100-cal packs are silly. And its like eating chocolate flavoured crackers, which is odd. I'd stick with regular oreos. They taste better too.
  • chinasparrow@xanga

    why don't you just skip the 100 cal snacks (they never filled me up either) and just have the recommended serving of the regular version? Yes they have like more calories, but you are only supposed to have about 3 or 4 (depending on what cookie) as a serving....and personally to me, having 3 or 4 cookies actually fills me up then the tiny packs of 100...and that way I also kinda reward myself...it's like an Oh I worked out, I get 3 cookies, yay me! sort of thing...but that's just my opinion
  • enterthelabyrinth@xanga

    I don't understand the 100 calorie pack phenomenon.....I'd rather have "fewer" (relative to portion size it may not be fewer) of the real thing than a bunch of little slightly tasty discs. I've read study where they say these snack packs are actually worse for your diet because of just what was said in this post....you eat them, realize you're still hungry and will need to get something else sooner, even though you just added 100 calories to your day.

    When I'm feeling munchy, I grab some fig newtons or a handful of jelly beans, sometimes I'll grab applesauce and add some cinnamon and I'm good to go....Less is more, of the real thing...the snack packs are just a bad excuse to eat cardboard. I go for the snacks that have some, to more, sugar in them because of my insulin resistance...when i'm dieting, i'm prone to getting lightheaded, so I try to keep high sugar, low calorie snacks with me.
  • thats_it_x3@xanga

    i was really satisfied with them.. and i actually thought they came with a lot more than i expected! i used to have them at lunch like everyday during the school year! i think theyre great!
  • greedygirl1

    I recently had the same thought and did a video post taking a look at the size of 100 calorie packs. Check it out http://greedygirlsguide.akilahthompkinspmp.com/how-much-is-100-calories-really 
    it was inspired by my disappointment is the little debbie 100 cal cakes

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