September 05, 2008

Low Cal Snack Foods: Whaddya Think?

[By Crabby]



Yes, this is indeed another Friday Giveaway Post--which will have three winners this week. So, Giveaway Skimmers, feel free to skip the Crab's tedious snack food musings and head straight down to the nitty gritty instructions on how to enter at the bottom of the post. Hint: one winner will be random, but creative readers will have extra chances to win this time.

But for those of you who may have opinions about Diet Processed Foods, pro or con--let's talk about this a moment, shall we?

So out in the "real world," (or at least at your local Big Chain Supermarket), there is plenty of evidence that folks want "low cal," "light," "reduced-fat" and "portion-controlled" convenience foods. A weight-conscious consumer who really craves a candy bar, for example, will often appreciate having a 100 calorie option available instead of just a 350 calorie version--even if the "lighter" version is smaller or tastes different from the original.

Most people "out there" seem to think these low-cal treats are a good thing.

In the land of health and fitness bloggers? Eh, not so much.

Few health bloggers will admit to purchasing a Diet Pepsi or a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich or a bright red can of Pringles Light Non-Fat Potato Chips with New and Improved 50% Less Anal Leakage Olestra.

(Though bloggers primarily focused on weight loss seem to be a bit more accepting of Frankenfoods, as long as they taste decent).

Sure, we should probably all be eating fruit for dessert instead of ice cream, and limiting our snacking to handfuls of healthy nuts and celery and carrots dipped in hummus.

But sometimes you just don't want a healthy whole-food snack! You want something yummy. You may have saved up points or calories or you may be planning to run an extra five miles on the treadmill; whatever. The point is: you're craving refined flour and sugar and fat, not a damn carrot.

(Cartoon by NatalieDee)

So what kind of treat do you pick? Reduced calorie, or regular?

Many folks seem to feel there is something more honorable about choosing to have a miniscule portion of a rich, satisfying, full-fat, gourmet dessert. Or perhaps some sort of deep-fried doughy ethnic thing, just like the kind Grandma from the Old Country used to make. Whereas having a half-dozen reduced fat Oreo cookies? That's frequently frowned upon.

Why is that? Any theories?

I suspect many of us may have a few low-cal or portion-controlled snacks stashed away in our kitchens... Anyone? Anyone?

When I was back in calorie-counting mode, I often used low-cal snacks and desserts, and it really helped me to feel like I could have a "treat" without totally blowing my goals. Now that I don't track so closely, I'm more likely to say "screw it, I'll have a big fat bakery cupcake with who knows how many calories" instead, but I can't really argue that this is a more sensible, honorable choice.

To me the key is: do you enjoy that low-cal treat enough that it satisfies your craving? If so, I think having low cal versions of junky foods as a treat is a fine idea! But I'd be curious to hear what the rest of you think.

So Anyway, On to the Giveaway...

As you may have gathered, the fine folks at Weight Watchers are offering up some of their tasty looking snack foods and desserts! ( Workout Mommy says, of their faux Twinkies: "sinfully delicious!" And she also has some to give away, so make sure to head on over to her site too.)

Anyway, three winners will each get a coupon good for "a full box of any item in the Weight Watchers' snack food category." Alas, I'm told that these products are not available internationally and so yet again, this giveaway is just for U.S. residents, dang it.

One of the winners will be chosen randomly--all you have to do is leave a comment. (And if you don't want the coupon because you would rather snack on alfalfa sprouts instead, don't fear commenting--should you win, we can always send it to someone else instead).

The other two winners will be chosen for writing the two best poems having anything to do with snack food, desserts, dieting, or treats! Here at Cranky Fitness, we love reader poetry, it makes reading the comments extra fun! (Haiku is good too). (And if you enter with a poem, you're also included for the random drawing too. So you have three times the chance to win!)

Entry deadline: Midnight EST, Tuesday September 9th. Winners announced Wednesday, Sept 10th; claim your prizes by emailing us before midnight, EST Sept 11.

74 comments:

  1. Full fat and lots of it. I don't buy into the low-cal nonsense. Most allegedly healthier options have all manner of unpronounceables in them to artificially induce the taste. We also get conned into thinking we can have more of them if they are low-cal or healthy. Therefore, we end up spending more money on them and they're overpriced to begin with.
    JMHO. YMMV. Do whatever works for you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ode to snack


    My tummy it's a-growlin'
    My PMS is howlin'
    Should I throw the towel in
    And have a tasty snack?

    Which one am I pickin'?
    The one that's finger-lickin'
    Or stashed up in my kitchen?
    Oh where's my tasty snack?

    I could eat that one that's real
    It has much more appeal
    I relish it with zeal
    Oh dread for fatty snack.

    Then again I could choose
    The one that should help me lose
    But chemicals it could ooze
    Oh zounds - the artifical snack.

    I don't house artificial
    Now let's make this official
    I'm gonna eat a fistful
    Of "real food" for my snack.

    So if it's for chocolate I am dyin'
    Or cake I am-a-cryin'
    It's much more satisfyin'
    To have a real snack.

    I put it in my tummy
    Knowing that it's yummy
    and heading for my hiney
    But I gotta have that snack.

    Then to the gym I'm goin'
    For liftin' and some rowin'
    Some cardio - all owin'
    To the eating of my snack.


    ~~thank you very much~~
    Linda has left the blog

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  3. Wooo, UK residents don't have to do poetry homework! School's out!

    I used to be Obsessed with low-calorie versions of things with lists of ingredients as long as your pet snake. These days I'll only choose them if I KNOW it won't just be a slightly watery version of the Real Thing.

    I LOVE this post because I agree wholeheartedly that people are snobby about Diet Foods round these parts. But that might be because I'm bitterly envious of anyone who can honestly say "just a scoop for me, oh it's so rich and satisfying!" about the real full fat versions. Are these people human?

    No, they are robots and not to be trusted.

    (sorry)

    TA x

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  4. I don't deal much with lo-cal anymore, since I've gone all healthy and deal with salads and chicken and brown rice and such. (21 lbs and 13 inches lost since May 3!) But I *have* gotten rid of all high fructose corn syrup in my diet, which cuts out tons of junk food (I'm willing to spend the calories on treats occasionally, but they're made with real sugar), and I don't eat bread anymore. One lo-fat staple I *do* keep around is low fat string cheese. I stay so busy during the day that it's a great between-meal snack while I'm on the go between teaching and meetings.

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  5. You know, I don't have a problem with these low-cal snacks at all. But like any "treat," low-cal or not, they shouldn't make up a diet. But every now and again when you think you might lose your head from a twinkie craving? Go for it.

    That wasn't a poem. Although I do love me a good haiku, so I can't wait to see what others list. Linda's ditty is pretty darn good.

    Oh! And you won our faux holiday contest by the way. :)

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  6. I'm lazy so I'll just do the one entry for a comment! LOL

    choosinglosing.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. No calorie counting here. When I eat, I eat real food. Which doesn't come in a package. (This is probably Allergy Snobbery here, not Health Food snobbery.)

    And hummus? I eat it with a spoon, not a carrot!

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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  8. Snack food, low cal, real
    The quandary is on your
    lips or on your hips

    ReplyDelete
  9. OMG Linda!!!

    And Christine, what an awesome haiku summary of the whole Deep question.

    I'm loving the comments so far!

    I too have more opinions about low cal snacks (which I'll share later, further down in the comments when fewer people are reading them). But I'm agreeing with a LOT of what's been said so far.

    And do not fear looking lazy by not doing poems, for goodness sakes! We love ALL comments. Poetry is for those talented overachievers out there whom we depend upon to make Cranky Fitness a much more interesting place.

    Oh, and I won something? Awesome, must go check!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really like the Slim-Fast Chocolate Cookie Dough meal bars. It's not a meal replacement, it's a nutritious candy bar!

    I have them for breakfast, but I really need to NOT eat them in the afternoon because I just dive into the box and eat a whole bunch of them even if I'm not hungry. And they're kind of expensive. :/

    I was at the Target Pharmacy yesterday refilling my Happy Supplements (because I am deficient in Happy) and I had a couple of boxes of the Slim Fast bars and the pharmacist was like, "ooh, those are so good, aren't they?"

    And now, for poetry corner.

    Tasty and nutritious
    candy bar
    would be nicer
    with more nutritious
    and slightly less tasty
    so as to better
    fulfill
    ravenous after-work Chicken Girls
    without provoking
    The Chocolate Monster.
    (NOM NOM NOM!)

    *plays bongos*

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have to say, the Weight Watchers chocolate muffins are pretty darn tasty.

    Here's my theory: I eat healthily 80-85% of the time, so that the other 15-20%, I can have a real gooey bakery brownie, or other treat of my choice.

    I include my 100 calorie snack packs in my "eating healthily" section of life. Because it's a controlled portion, and gives me just enough to feel satisfied.

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  12. Not available internationally?

    That's balls!

    Those little devils are available here and give you gas like you wouldn't believe!

    I pity the fool who wins the coupon! :P

    ReplyDelete
  13. *(adjusts beret)*

    snap snap snap snap snap

    (I'm digging Chicken Girl's vibe.)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have diet cokes, but I'm weaning myself off of them (I'm down to one a week), and if I'm the designated driver, I'll also have a diet coke, so that someone I'm not driving home won't act like I'm killing the spirit of fun by not drinking.

    I have low fat cottage cheese around too. I adore edy's fruit bars. And I can be satisfied by the serving size of Ben & Jerry's (the trick is to not eat out of the pint, and savor every bite).

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  15. I agree with you that it depends on whether you enjoy the low cal snack. If you find one that you enjoy and it fits into your diet, good for you. Unfortunately, a lot of them don't taste very good (or at least they don't to me).

    I'm not a dessert every night kind of person, so I prefer to save it for special occasions and have a real dessert (like when I was home last weekend and had a piece of my Mom's homemade Blackberry Cream Pie).

    But, that doesn't mean that I don't break into a bag of Quaker Crispy Minis every now and then, when I want to munch on something salty. May not be the best thing in the world for me to eat, but does less damage than scarfing down a giant bag of potato chips.

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  16. Junk is junk
    Or so I thunk

    But if you must
    please don't lust

    grab the best
    take this test

    the real thing for me
    just one, not three!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Many folks seem to feel there is something more honorable about choosing to have a miniscule portion of a rich, satisfying, full-fat, gourmet dessert.

    Oh yes that's me...
    (Except change out the word, "miniscule" for "regular")

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think I would rather have the real thing.

    But sometimes it might be handy to have a low cal/low fat confection.

    So...basically I'm on the fence with this one. I could be pushed to either side with very little effort.

    Now for la poeme:

    There once was a girl from Nantucket...

    Oh wait, is this a family friendly blog? I probably shouldn't tell you that one.

    I got nothin then.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I proudly admit to the skinny cow fudgsicles in my freezer. And the only reason I don't have skinny cow ice cream sandwiches is that I've eaten them all!

    But for the most part, I don't both with the diet solutions. There've been studies to show that people who choose the diet option tend to eat more calories than if they'd gone with the regular one, because they think they're being virtuous.

    So I have full-sugar soda, and don't worry about some cake, and I use real butter. And then I go kick my own ass at the gym.

    ReplyDelete
  20. OH! I take full advantage of any opportunity to write a haiku:


    Faux twinkie, my love
    Legalize frostitution
    Your cream coats my soul.

    and just because they are fun:

    Title: Longing For the Days of When I Could Eat Whatever I Wanted and Never Saw an Ounce of it Appear Anywhere on my Body

    Watch weight with cake
    Older metabolism
    The toybox is closed

    ReplyDelete
  21. it must be faux cake Friday!

    I am loving the poems, what a great idea. (there are some very creative people out there!)

    ReplyDelete
  22. and Grounded Fitness?

    you made my day with

    "Legalize frostitution"

    absolutely hilarious!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love the low cal, low fat snacks, it makes me feel like I can have something sweet and not be ruining all my hard work of that day....especially the low point/calorie ice cream bars.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I despise sugar substitutes, would rather have a little bit of the real deal but I do on occasion try out the lower calorie snack foods and usually end up regretting it cause the fake stuff goes in one end and makes a violent exit out the other. (TMI???)

    I just wanted to comment that I loved Linda's poem. If the randomator should choose me (as if) please pass it along to someone else.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Crabby,

    Since I write prose not poetry, and we obviously have some magnificent poets here at Cranky Fitness, I'll opt for the random drawing.

    As to low cal snack foods. I like the portion control of 100 or 90 calorie snacks, as long as I can maintain discipline and not eat the entire box at one sitting. if that happens, I might as well have the real thing and lots of it.

    Terrie

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  26. Doritos, my love
    I think of you everyday
    Darn your fat content.

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  27. I don't like faux-foods. If I don't know what an ingredient is, I won't buy/eat it. If I'm going to splurge on a treat, I am just going to full-out splurge. It's easier for me to feel satisfied with a small portion of real food, than a large portion of reduced-cal/low fat.

    Of course, I'm a granola-crunching, organic hippie who tries to eat clean & local and who grows her own tomatoes and makes her own cheese, so feel free to ignore me. (I don't however, butcher my own meat. Anymore.)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'd rather go for the full fledged high fat, full sugar, real chocolate goodness. As in, going out to dinner and getting the Chocolate Decadence cake made with 84 sticks of butter! Or my Mom's homemade oatmeal cookies. It's worth waiting for. The low cal snackie things don't actually taste very good - it's just not satisfying. I don't think it's snobbiness on my part - it's not that holding myself back to a small helping of whatever is morally better, it's just that the fake stuff smells and tastes funny.

    (Don't bother entering me in the giveaway, just wanted to comment)

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a great idea! Personally, I would never eat that stuff, but I wrote a poem anyway:

    The junk food they are hawkin'
    Has us fat chicks all a'gawkin'.

    Oh! What a great day!
    If we could eat this way

    And burn it all off by fawkin'.

    (Hee. I hope I don't get deleted!)

    ReplyDelete
  30. I used to eat wholesome and felt denied.
    I'd act self-righteous while secretly I cried.
    During chemo, downing Dove Bars, I gained 30 lbs.
    Back on Weight Watchers now, I am 10 down.
    Daily I search for a happy medium,
    Eating 'fake' foods sometimes quells the dieting tedium.


    (We can write fake food poetry *reviews* when we win)

    ReplyDelete
  31. LOL at Mrs. Jelly-Belly! That was awesome! :D

    Here's how I approach the "diet food" stuff: I try not to eat processed food as much as possible. So if my options are a WW twinkie vs. a piece of pound cake from a real bakery, with real whipped cream, and no weird preservatives, I'll take the bakery cake.

    On the other hand, if I really want a TWINKIE, cellophane wrapped, preservative-laden and age-proof, then I'll eat the WW version, because either way I'm eating chemicals, so I might as well eat the one that might be slightly less bad for me.

    It's all a question of degrees for me.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Oh god, give me cream
    And sugar and butter, too
    Life is short, eat real.

    -I love haiku, but please don't pick me to receive the giveaway, obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Once upon a time I was fat,
    On my fat ass I always sat.

    I loved me some cake,
    so that's all I ate,
    And then I discovered a 100cal pack.

    Now I can fit in my jeans,
    (and you all know how much that means.)

    I long for a treat,
    but healthy I will eat,
    as long as the Olestra doesn't cause leakage.

    (Yup, that pretty much sums it up for me!)

    ReplyDelete
  34. I try to eat "whole foods" as much as possible and this comes down to my snacking too. I am a sugar junkie, so fruit is very high up on my grocery list every week. That being said I have tried a number of the portion controlled snacks and found the artifical sweet taste to be unpleasant and unsatisfying. If I want a snack I want the real thing or nothing at all and if I don't buy it I can't eat it.

    The only exception to this rule: Baked Lays Dill Pickle Chips

    ReplyDelete
  35. Ode to the Lite

    No doubt ersatz components test the gut;
    False colorings wreak havoc in the cells,
    And it were best to leave the package shut
    And steel oneself against the tempting smells;
    Ah, choc’late cake and caramel pecan,
    And lemon sponge and carrot cake could be
    My comforts sweet while parked on my divan,
    And partners to a half-assed gluttony;
    These meretricious treats do fool the mind,
    For one imagines they’re a harmless “vice,”
    And giving little thought to my behind,
    I help myself to just another slice.
    So disappear all into the abyss,
    And here I sit in artificial bliss.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I used to eat diet foods with all the unpronouncables in them. For me, they were unhelpful since I just ended up justifying eating more. Then I got in the habit of eating larger quantities, thus jeopardizing my wallet as I started trending toward a larger dress size.

    It took me several years to completely wean off processed foods, but now I can't eat the things, low-cal or not. They taste nasty, like a chemistry lab. I'm quite satisfied with smaller portions of organic, homemade foods and I have much less urge to snack than I did in the days of gnoshing on HFCS, sugar substitutes, preservatives and other artificial ingredients.

    So even though, yeah, I just had two oatmeal cookies, I found them satisfying and they didn't make me crave more. This leads to a better outcome (at least for me) than eating three 100-calorie cookie packs because hey, they're only 100 calories, and still feeling hungry.

    But we're all different and whatever works, works.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Full cal or NO cal
    Low cal is less than useless
    It means I'll eat TWO!


    My vote is for Linda and Christine, Yay!

    Seriously, I wouldn't eat this stuff. Except maybe if I'd survived Armageddon or a suitcase nuke or bird flu, and that was all that was left to scavenge as I hunted through the rubble with my trusty poodle, packing my assault rifle and my 9mm S&W sidearms.

    If I'm going to eat a fake food, I have ONE, it's CHEETOS, (two if you count the Flamin' Hot version as separate). Now my secret is out. Crunchy fake cheese and salt, yow, that's just so satisfying on so many levels.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I fawkin' love frostitution!
    This is a GREAT bunch o' commenters :)

    (Who obviously doesn't count, but that's okay because I never win nuthin' nohow.)

    ReplyDelete
  39. These poems are absolutely fabulous and hilarious! I'm in awe and thank y'all for making my Friday.

    As for low-cal/low fat, I definitely will admit to my Diet Pepsi. I love soda, I crave soda at noon, I might just break into an ode to soda...but I won't torture you.

    I try to keep everything else I eat and drink as simple and as natural as possible. I actually don't go for the convenience/100-cal packs because of all the packaging I'd be throwing away.

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  40. I love cupcakes
    I love cake
    I love cookies
    I love shakes

    I love white bread
    Yes I do
    The problem comes
    When it's time to...poo!

    Hemorrhoids are my curse in life
    So high fiber foods I must bite
    But as long as I eat enough good stuff,
    I save some room for what I love!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I think there is a place for low-calorie, portion-controlled snackage. I don't like the idea of making them an everyday thing, which is I think why a lot of health-bloggers and health-focused people stick their nose up at them. A lot of dieters have one or two of these things a day, in lieu of healthier snacking options. Sweets are awesome and I couldn't live without them, but it's been important to me to break the habit of having to eat something sweet every single day.

    I think 100-calorie packs and their ilk are best suited in convenience stores, vending machines, and similar venues, where a person in a rush who wants to grab a quick snack can buy JUST ONE 100-calorie pack. When I went to the zoo, I was delighted to see that they sold individual 100-calorie packs as an option at the snack bar, in addition to the ice cream cones and onion rings. What a great idea! It lets a person watching their calories get to have a snack without having to blow off their good intentions for the day. It gives a person craving chocolate a great way to get a chocolate fix without going crazy.

    That said, I am also a fan of the "real stuff". The whole "small portion" part is a load of crap though. I prefer to have a good sized serving of a real, rich dessert infrequently, because there is no way I can eat one little square of good chocolate, or 1/4 of a brownie sundae without feeling cheated. So, my solution, that I am happy with, has been to have a good amount of a real dessert maybe once a month. To me, desserts should be treats, somewhat rare.

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  42. Man my creative juices just aren't flowing.. so I'll simply leave a comment and take my chances with the random drawing.

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  43. I'm with Gillian... having a small serving of something decadent is WAY more likely to make me feel deprived than having a big serving of something almost-but-not-quite-as-good. I guess I'm not as much of a foodie/taste snob as I like to think I am :)

    ReplyDelete
  44. "further down in the comments when fewer people are reading them"
    Crabby? We're still reading them....

    Java Chick: Blackberry Cream Pie? Blackberry! Cream!! Pie!!! Tell me more!

    poems! [applause]

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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  45. Eat a yummy treat
    just a hundred calories?
    You have weak tastebuds

    I guess you can tell I am not a fan of the low-cal versions

    ReplyDelete
  46. Eh, I am wary of low-cal stuff.
    If I'm going to have a treat I don't want to worry about the after effects (of fake sugar)

    ReplyDelete
  47. I love candy bars!
    So yummy in my tummy..
    Nom Nom Nom!!!

    :]

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  48. Melissa & Fit Me Pink! Hysterical! Everbody's poems are great, I thank you all for the laughs!

    A little "food for thought" to give us pause:
    Xylitol is toxic to dogs and can even be fatal. Some people also can't "do" artificial sweeteners, I am one of them, so maybe the real deal less often is a better way to go? Some of the articles online about side effects from Splenda for example are kind of eye opening, and considering how much big corporations like to cover stuff up, it could all very well be very true.

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  49. Gawd I'm lovin the "frostitution"...

    I try to not eat overly processed foods. When I was really trying to lose weight, buying those treats would mean I'd eat them all in one sitting.

    I'd rather pick up a real slice of cake, or pie, or whatever and enjoy it and NOT have anything tormenting me by hanging around.

    I now plan for my "cheats". It's living in the real world, not in the "weight loss" world. These cheats are NEVER in my home, so I get the whole treat part. and they are usually on days that I've worked out.

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  50. Umm, I'm not much of a poet, so I'm going to bank on luck. haha.

    If its just a snack food I'd rather have low-cal (although I'm careful about what kinds....not all are created equal). Its impossible for me to have "just a little" of the really delicious fattening stuff. The better it tastes, the more I'm going to want to eat. (Mmm....Ben&Jerry's....) Some low-cal foods are really good! Like no-sugar added fudgesicles, and sugar-free jello. I'd have never guessed they were low-calorie if it wasn't for the packaging!

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  51. I am a robot and not to be trusted.

    But I eat full fat ice cream every night, just less of it. I avoid low fat production snack foods at all cost. And I've lost 25 lbs this year doing it, without significant excessive exercise.

    But, I may also lock you out of the spaceship for your own good, Dave.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I don't do low-fat unless it's meant to be that way (sorbet, fruit, etc.). My treats tend towards the savory side... cheese (especially stilton, goat's cheese, or comte)... butter (on toast with marmite).

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  53. I sorta frown on the fake stuff too. I think the worst thing about it is that it tries to look virtuous. Just because oreo cookies come in a 100 calorie pack or just because a "health" bar claims to be low fat and packed with fibre doesn't meant it isn't absolute crap, yet people are a whole lot more likely to eat them for breakfast or as a daily snack than I think they would if it were a real treat that should be saved for thoughtful occasions when it is really worth diving into a nice rich piece of gateau chocolate or something equally decadent.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Oh my goodness, how will I ever choose just 2 poetry winners???!! These are so awesome!

    So, some further thoughts on low-cal snack foods from a crabby crab:

    My biggest gripe is that the ones that taste the most "real" tend to rely on portion control--they're just smaller versions of the "real" junk food treat; repackaged and more expensive. And then they only sell them in BOXES. So any portion control advantage is gone if you are at home, weak-willed like me, and know how to open another package.

    So I won't buy them for myself at home, but when we're staying at my mother-in-law's house she buys them and I can't stay out of them! Even the brands that aren't very good. I did better when I was counting calories, which is when these things worked well for me. Now that I don't have accountability at that level, I am more likely to want to have "just one more" since I don't write it down.

    I do better having a once-a-weekish real treat, bought in a single (generous) serving size.

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  55. Rugelach, so small,
    so real, you are my true friend.
    Sorbet, I love you.

    ReplyDelete
  56. I'm all over the yummy low cal treats! I loves me my Twinkies!

    ReplyDelete
  57. *snaps* for chickengirl..

    I'm not able to write good stuff like that, so this is my comment, as lame as it is.

    Thanks for the chance to win a box of ooooey gooooey low cal snacks!

    Les~

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  58. How about a limerick about how artificial sweeteners may actually stimulate your appetite?

    There once was a woman so hinky
    She asked herself, "Why a fake Twinkie?"
    Cause while they look swank
    They taste a bit rank
    And may never much help you to shrinkie!

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  59. Its Gotta Be Worthy

    I love me some cake
    I love me some cream.
    High fructose corn syrup, you say?
    Get out of the way---
    That's the stuff of my dream.

    High fat, low fat,
    Real or fake,
    I don't really care
    When it comes to cake.

    But its gotta be worthy,
    its gotta taste good.
    Three points or less
    is preferred, if you would.

    ReplyDelete
  60. I think that I shall never see
    successful sweet treat fakery,
    Indeed, until my taste buds stall,
    I'll not for faux treaties fall.


    (But I'll try anything that's free...)

    Landry's Mom

    ReplyDelete
  61. I used to eat them all the time, believing the claims on nutrition labels, but now that I actually know a thing or two about health I steer clear of most of those things at all costs. They should still be seen as treats and NOT be associated as health foods, which is the real problem.

    Real food is so much better than any of that packaged stuff anyways:)

    ReplyDelete
  62. An ode to my secret love

    Oh 100 calorie bag of popcorn,
    You are just right
    When I want a crunchy, salty snack day or night

    With some seasoning sprinkled on liberally
    You fill a large bowl so pleasantly
    And I crunch away happily

    How can they say our love is wrong?
    Why must I hide you in the back
    So no one will know how I snack?

    Oh the shame!
    You are reduced fat
    You are a hundred calorie pack!

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  63. well, i sometimes crave something bad... and yep, i probably prefer to have the real mccoy :P

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  64. I think the low cal food industry has a lot to answer for. By that, I mean a lot of that food is nowhere near as healthy as they would have you believe.

    I try to factor in "pig out" days into my health plan. If I can work out and stay on course eating-wise for 6 days then the 7th I can eat pretty much anything I want.

    The ironic thing is I kind of stop craving totally processed foods.

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  65. I'd love to try a sample! I live for snack foods!

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  66. UM yeah. So - the reason why small portions of high fat is "better" and large portions of lower calorie frankenfoods is "bad" ? See below.

    A) Scary scary chemicals. That yumminess is part WD-40, part formaldehyde. True story.

    B) Replacing huge portions of high calorie food with huge portions of lower calorie food only does half the job.

    1)You'll still be just as hungry as you ever were- your tummy never shrinks at all

    2) Have you smelt yourself? Chances are YOU dealt that!

    C) MONEY, Honey! Have you looked in your wallet lately? Those WW packs are $5 each!

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  67. I have lost 115 pounds but
    no one will be astounded that
    I along the way
    have said so many nays but
    I have had a lot of sweets
    but they, of course aren't beat
    by vegetables and fruit
    because they make you poot!

    Twinkies, candy and cheesecake
    and anything else I can bake
    are just so good, you see
    they are natural, like pee!
    So I will lost my weight with fat
    in my daily diet so that,
    I am not deprived of sweets
    or the butter that I eat.

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  68. So, when I was doing Weight Watchers religiously and/or counting calories, low-cal/low-fat snacks were a staple in my house. I replaced all my favorite snacks with their baked/artificially sweetened/chemically composed versions. Now, I'm more apt to choose a taste of the real thing. If I know it's going to be in my house for a while, I'll still get the "diet" version in case I get a sudden urge to eat the entire box of cakes/carton of ice cream/bag of chips. But I tend to not even bring the stuff into my house and get the occasional "real" treat while I'm out. I know the chemicals aren't good for me and I'm learning that I don't NEED those snacks as much as the snack food and advertisement industries would like me to believe.

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  69. Ahh, but Cranky snacks and desserts are two different food groups. Snacks should get you to the next meal and desserts should be delicious. So I have to go regular on both fronts. Otherwise, I play the mind game that allows me to have lots more of the low-cal stuff.. and I end up eating the same amount of calories in the long run, but usually end with diet food aftertaste.

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  70. All hail the great Crabby McSlacker
    Giving away treats to all of us snackers
    But more than ice cream, cookies and cake
    It's Crabby herself that I'd rather take
    The wit, the humor, the fresh take on living
    That Crabby McSlacker just keeps on giving
    While frosting and sprinkles certainly are nice
    Crabby is my favorite flavor of spice
    So keep your chips, your chocolate and candy
    I'll take me some Crabby
    Cuz she is just dandy!!!

    ReplyDelete
  71. It's all about making healthy choices throughout the day. Little battles at a time. These tips are helpful too!
    http://www.weightlossguide.com

    ReplyDelete
  72. Hello, i am glad to read the whole content of this blog and am very excited and happy to say that the webmaster has done a very good job here to put all the information content and information at one place, i will must refer this information with reference on my website i.e www.weightlossproductz.com

    ReplyDelete
  73. Hello, I am here to defend my trust skinny cow and 100 calorie pack friends. I work out 7 days a week for an hour a day and I count every. single. calorie. I can't imagine tossing out the boatload of calories on real cake, or a ridiculous 250 calorie cola.
    I seem to hear in the fitness/diet blogosphere about how "you will just eat more" blah blah and maybe some people are like that, but I don't understand how if you have the discipline to count calories, get your buns in the gym how you don't have the discipline to eat one individually wrapped snack? Put the rest away, in the freezer or the cupboard. It's not calorie free sillies, it's low calorie. You probably shouldn't bring the whole freaking box with you to the couch, isn't that part of what brought us all into the diet world anyway? And if you don't have the discipline to stop at 100 calories with your snack, how do you figure you will have it to stop at one piece of cake, one brownie, or one slice of pie?
    Now I can completely understand if you don't dig artificial sweetener. I personally put Splenda on my weight loss pedestal because I truly don't know how I would do this without it. I love it, it's taste..everything. I also actually love weight watchers little ice cream sandwiches and Skinny Cow's caramel ice cream bar things. I eat one every once in awhile because honestly, what the hell, its 100 calories.
    You can tell I'm not very organic, but I'm one heck of a lot healthier than I was on the fast food circuit.

    ReplyDelete

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