Beware of 100-Calorie Packs, especially if you diet!

You can’t help noticing the plethora of portion-controlled packages in the supermarket these days.  Kraft introduced mini-packs, called 100-Calorie Packs, in 2004 to appeal to the demands of dieters.  Now it seems that all major food manufacturers have their own version of mini-packs.

 

How do consumers react to mini-packs?  The answer is not a straightforward one.  A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research investigated whether consumers would eat more when the food was offered in several mini-packs as opposed to one regular size package.  It turns out that each person’s response hinged on his or her relationship with body weight and food. 

 

To appreciate the results, it is helpful to be familiar with what is meant by the terms “restrained eater” and “unrestrained eater.”

• Restrained eaters combat physiological urges to eat in order to lose weight or maintain a reduced weight.  A restrained eater categorizes food as good or bad and prefers to know the calorie content of a food before eating it.
• Unrestrained eaters tend to focus on internal signals that enough has been eaten.  They are able to find a balance between a feeling of satiety and an appealing appearance of food. 

 

In the study both groups, restrained and unrestrained eaters, thought of the mini-packs as “diet food.”  Both groups predicted they would want to eat less if the food in the mini-packs as opposed to normal-size packs.  But when actually eating the food, the restrained eaters ate more from the mini-packs than the unrestrained eaters.  More often than not, the restrained eaters ate all of the mini-packs presented to them whereas the unrestrained eaters ate some and left some.

 

Mini-packs underscore a lack of self-trust when it comes to food.  Restrained eaters may gravitate to this type of packaging, especially for “bad” or forbidden foods, in their ongoing effort to eat less overall and to control their intake of desirable food. 

 

This study shows us that food packaged in mini-packs doesn’t help anyone.  Nor does it fool anyone.  A person’s most basic need regarding food is to feel there is enough.  Feeling there is enough food cannot happen with a mini-pack.  Food security comes from having a plentiful amount of normal food offered at predictable times throughout the day. This approach to eating allows you to pay attention, eat as much as you want, and enjoy it.

 

References:

Scott ML, Nowlis SM, Mandel N, Morales A.: The effects of reduced food size and package size on the consumption behavior of restrained and unrestrained eaters. J Consumer Research.October, 2008;35 (electronically published July 16, 2008).

Satter EM. Hierarchy of food needs. J Nutr Educ Behav, 2007;39 (suppl):S187-188.

That's interesting.   I suppose the same kind of thought process leads to dieters eating multiple packets of 'low cal' biscuits instead of stopping at just one regular biscuit.  The idea that if something is low in calories it's OK to eat lots of it.

I rather like the last sentence.... "Food security comes from having a plentiful amount of normal food offered at predictable times throughout the day."   I've never been comfortable with the current fashion for '6 small meals a day' and now I know why.

I just eat one whole 100 calorie pack, as a night time snack when my man busts out his ice cream and cookies and milk! Works out well because i can have a little bit of a sweet treat, but be confident that I'm not overstepping my calorie goal.

Shinyblackpit- thats exactly what I do.  I only have 1 at night when the fiance eats Breyers.  100 cal packs are my saving grace... so if I binge on them, it would be like abusing my priveledge. 

i don't go near them, because the wasteful packaging disgusts me.  and because i can count.

i dont go near them either. i dont like thier packaging. i dont like that thier all mini-sized i like my oreos normal sized thank-you-very-much.

I used to be a big fan of 100 calories packs - they were easy to pack for snacks and I didn't have to guess at serving sizes.  Unfortunately, I think I unconciously thought that having 100 calorie packs of something made it healthier - when really if I'd thought about it I would have realized that those foods are still unhealthy and should be regarded as treats. 

Now that I buy my treats specifically and portion it out myself, rather than having a bunch of different 100 calorie packs on hand, my treats are much more satisfying.

I think the difference is whether a person can understand that a 100 calorie snack pack is just that - a snack, a treat, possibly something to stave off a craving. But then, I can think of much more filling snacks than most of those things. And pgeorgian is also quite right - why not just buy a large bag, and portion it out yourself? It saves so much packaging and in a lot of cases, money.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

i don't go near them, because the wasteful packaging disgusts me.  

that's why i stay away from them too!

Agreed- the packaging is wasteful.... but they are also so convenient for people on-the-go who leave the house at 7 and don't get home until 10 or 11 most days. 

Here's what I do with snack packs:  Some might call it anal, but it works for me.  I open up a pack and divide it as if there were two people sharing it.  "One for you and one for me", so I'm not guessing at what half a bag is.  I get exactly half.  I eat my half.  If half fills me up or fills that "I want something now void", then I stop at half the pack.  I either throw away the other half or save it for later.  If half a pack doesn't do anything for me, I can eat the whole thing knowing it's only 100 cals.  But  I find more and more, I usually stop at half a pack.  You still get your "little fix", but you've only blown 50 cals.  Works for me, may or may not work for you.  If I have a bigger, "unrestrained" bag or package of something, I tend to eat more of that thing than I should.  Snack packs work for me.  I don't worry about wasting food anymore.  Because as someone here pointed out in another thread; it gets wasted one way or the other.  Either you toss it out or you eat it and the final product is waste. 

I use to be a fan of those 100 calories packs as well. My girl friend said to me.. How in the hell can you eat those things? It's just a waste of time... Eat a apple if you want a snack. What you get..... 6 bags per box, just a waste of time. So, I get my snacks from the health food store, and it's been working out well for me. I also get those fruit cups, and I'm saving 30cals just by dropping those 100 calorie packs, and I feel full after having one of my lesser calorie snacks at night. So I do agree with the poster. Those things are a waste of time.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

i don't go near them, because the wasteful packaging disgusts me.  and because i can count.

 Amen!  I HATE the packaging aspect of it too, and besides the fact that it's just not economically conservative. 

I'm not a fan of a lot of the 100-cal-packs, mostly 'cause I'm not a fan of a lot of the original versions either.  

The ones I do love, though, don't come in bigger packs so I have to buy the mini packs.  Nutri-grain makes the yummiest little granola bites (they're kind of like a cookie/cracker made of granola) in honey/oat and cinnamon/brown sugar.  De-lish!  Technically, they're 130 cals per pack.  If they came in bigger bags, I'd buy those and portion them (as I do for pretzels, crackers and Bits and Bites).

 

The packaging is a problem, not to mention the cost!  I buy almonds and snack items in bulk from the health food store and then scoop out a portion, throw it in a washable (tiny) tupperware container and bring it in my bag.  That way I always have a healthy, inexpensive, and non-waste producing snack on hand.

In my opinion (just an opinion), there is nothing wrong with these 100 cal packs.  If you are on the run, actively dieting or not, they make a decent treat, on the go.  My older kids love them because they are always on the go - they really like the Ritz and Oreo thins.  It is just convenient packaging. 

As for eating 6 mini meals, I don't see a thing wrong with it.  People have to do what they have to do to survive, live, be happy .....

If 100 cal packs and mini meals make you happy, make you happy : )

They are more expensive! Boo!!

I have 100 calorie packs of those shortbread cookies. They are so tiny! The cookies, I mean. They are really yummy and I enjoy them every once in awhile. I don't eat them often because they're expensive. But I do like to pop open a bag and read a book while snacking... they go quickly (there's like 10 in there if I'm lucky?) but I forget about snacking when I'm all into the book. :D

Original Post by playergirl:

In my opinion (just an opinion), there is nothing wrong with these 100 cal packs.  If you are on the run, actively dieting or not, they make a decent treat, on the go.  My older kids love them because they are always on the go - they really like the Ritz and Oreo thins.  It is just convenient packaging. 

As for eating 6 mini meals, I don't see a thing wrong with it.  People have to do what they have to do to survive, live, be happy .....

If 100 cal packs and mini meals make you happy, make you happy : )

honestly, i can't agree with this.  we have to get beyond what's convenient and what makes us happy.  it makes me happy to turn up the heat and go barefoot all winter, but i won't do it.  it's expensive, but more than that, it's irresponsible.  and in the long run, it makes me happier to know that i'm doing what i can to minimize the damage to this planet (and especially to the species we share it with).

Original Post by pgeorgian:

Original Post by playergirl:

In my opinion (just an opinion), there is nothing wrong with these 100 cal packs.  If you are on the run, actively dieting or not, they make a decent treat, on the go.  My older kids love them because they are always on the go - they really like the Ritz and Oreo thins.  It is just convenient packaging. 

As for eating 6 mini meals, I don't see a thing wrong with it.  People have to do what they have to do to survive, live, be happy .....

If 100 cal packs and mini meals make you happy, make you happy : )

honestly, i can't agree with this.  we have to get beyond what's convenient and what makes us happy.  it makes me happy to turn up the heat and go barefoot all winter, but i won't do it.  it's expensive, but more than that, it's irresponsible.  and in the long run, it makes me happier to know that i'm doing what i can to minimize the damage to this planet (and especially to the species we share it with).

Now I feel extremely guilty. I changed my light bulbs, toilet paper, no longer use plastic bags when shopping etc. Yet I never noticed how much waste I make with the little things. I'm actually glad I read this post because it will change how I shop/what I buy from now on. Actually, thank you. :)

I still have trouble getting baggers at some supermarkets to bag my stuff in the bags I give them... they always start to bag and then they have to unbag... silly people.

#19  you know what I do about the bag thing? 

Before I place ANY food on that little register thingy that moves (geez, I can't remember what it's called)  anyway, before I put any food on it, I place one of my empty cloth bags in front so the clerk sees it and knows to hand it to the bagger.  

I started to do that because by the time I'd finished placing the food on the counter, half my crap was already bagged in plastic.

:)