31 Days of Weight Loss Tips: Day 15 Say No to 100-Calorie Snack Packs

Photo by Horia Varlan on Flickr

Cookies. Cupcakes. Brownies. Cheese crackers. Ice cream bars. Peanut butter bars. And even soda. You name it -- and there is probably a version of it that you can get in a package of 100 calories. But just because you can get junk food in smaller quantities, that doesn't make it better.

You may be gasping right now and thinking "it's only 100 calories, that's not bad."

It's still junk food. And it is filled with non-nutritive calories like sugar, saturated fat and additives.

In a previous post, I talked about why sugar is bad for us -- sugary foods are addicting, lead to fat storage and cause unstable blood glucose levels which is a risk for diabetes.

Additives are bad because they are non-food, often toxic substances that lead to weight gain. Many processed foods contain some form of the additive MSG which oftentimes is unidentifiable because it is contained in ingredients such as glutamic acid, calcium caseinate, soy protein isolate and flavorings -- to name a few. MSG is an excitotoxin which interferes will brain function. These substances have been linked to lepin resistance. The hormone leptin is the fullness hormone that tells our brain when we are full and can stop eating.

So, what does this mean? When sugary and additive filled food is consumed (like cookies, cupcakes, soda, etc.) the more it is craved. And when that happens, without having some serious willpower, more is eaten which leads to weight gain. It's an on-going cycle of want more -- eat more -- want more -- eat more, until you have to force yourself to stop eating the food.

Ever have a serving of chips and want more, not necessarily because you were hungry for more, but just because you craved it? The same applies to the 100-calories snack packs. Who can really just eat one package?

The 100-calorie snack packs are probably even worse. Because you think you're making a better choice, and may end up eat two or three packages in a sitting. You may be thinking "oh, it's OK, they're only 100 calories." But those calories add up. And if you've eaten three packages, that's 300 non-nutritive calories you've consumed that only detract from your health and sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Eat fresh fruit, nuts or seeds instead of snacking on junk food. You'll feel full and satisfied -- which is what you want when you're trying to loose weight.

Resources:
Documentary: The Gerson Therapy
Mercola