Portion Patrol
Women's Health reveals how to score maximum satisfaction from 100 calories.
Apr. 9, 2008— -- Computer screens, dogs, your paycheck: Some things should only come in size XL.
But at snack time, smaller really is better. A mere 100 calories can satisfy you until your next meal, but that amount is frustratingly hard to eyeball. You could pay the more than 100 percent markup some companies charge for 100-cal snack packs -- or simply keep these delish, nutritionist-approved treats on hand.
Sliced tomato with a sprinkle of feta and olive oil
Lunch left something to be desired? This savory dish will make your taste buds happy.
Vitamuffin VitaTop
Pop this vitamin-rich fudgy treat before a morning meeting and that Danish won't look so damn good.
Starbucks tall skinny latte
Score your caffeine fix along with a hunger-crushing 10-gram shot of protein and about a third of your daily calcium needs.
Banana
Naturally prepackaged goodness you can take anywhere, with the added benefit of cramp-preventing potassium.
1/2 cup edamame (measured shelled)
Eating this protein-packed pick-me-up out of the shell will help make the snack last longer.
3 cups air-popped popcorn
Go ahead, nibble mindlessly as you zone out in front of Bravo. Even if you're watching trash, you won't be eating it.
Quaker Instant Oatmeal (regular flavor)
This speedy fiber- and protein-packed breakfast also makes for a warm, filling snack.
Yoplait Light yogurt (fruit flavors)
This bone-building goodie provides 20 percent of your RDA for calcium and vitamin D.
8 shrimp and 4 Tbsp cocktail sauce
The perfect appetizer -- and no one at the table will know you're counting calories.
2 Sargento Light String Cheese snacks
Any food you can play with is a great distraction; plus, the protein battles mid-afternoon hunger pangs.
Curves granola bar
Stash chocolate-peanut or strawberries-and-cream bars in your glove box to help you resist the lure of the drive-thru when you're on the road.
1 cup baby carrots with 2 Tbsp hummus
The crunchy texture keeps choppers busy, and tangy hummus feeds your need for comfort food.
1 1/4 oz turkey jerky
When you must have meat, chew on this low-cal, low-fat power snack.
1/2 cantaloupe
Like most fruit, melon contains a lot of water. So you get a lot of food -- and beta-carotene -- for not a lot of calories.
1 cup vegetable juice, such as V8, and 2 oz Oscar Mayer oven-roasted turkey breast
An antioxidant- and protein-rich hunger-buster.
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Related links:
How Much Sugar is in Your Food?
Wine or Beer: Which Has Less Calories?
1 Tbsp peanuts and 2 Tbsp dried cranberries
Toss together this pared-down trail mix and pre-measure into plastic baggies.
1 cup strawberries and 3 Tbsp Cool Whip Free
For a totally guiltless dessert, dish up a bowl of this sweet, fiber-rich combo.
3 Amy's Cheese Pizza Snacks
These hot, crispy, cheesy bites are possibly the most satisfying late-night snack ever.
1 cup raspberries with 2 Tbsp plain yogurt and 1 tsp honey
This sweet mix does the job until you can break away from your desk for a full meal.
2 egg whites with 1 slice whole wheat toast
This protein-and-carb duo gives you a light but energizing start when you have a belly-busting lunch on your calendar.
About 1/2 cup frozen yogurt
When you crave a cool treat, dip into smooth and yummy fro-yo--it's nowhere near as high-calorie as ice cream.
5 Hershey's Special Dark chocolate kisses
A cocoa fix that's equally rich in chocolaty taste and disease-fighting antioxidants--what more could you want in a snack?
2/3 cup Barbara's Bakery cinnamon Puffins cereal (dry)
Keep premeasured tubs in your desk drawer for an alternative to kettle chips when you're craving something crunchy.
1 oz yellowtail and 1 oz tuna sashimi with 1 packet Kikkoman Instant Tofu Miso Soup
Have it pre-party; the protein will keep you from wiping out the buffet.
18 Fat Free Rold Gold Tiny Twists
Kill a carbs-and-salt craving in a single snack session.
2 oz Veggie Land Veg-T-Balls with 2 Tbsp Muir Glen chunky tomato sauce
These low-fat vegetarian balls hit the spot.
Chocolate milk (1 c nonfat milk + 1 Tbsp Hershey's Lite chocolate syrup)
Quell your inner cocoa monster and get a hit of calcium.
1 Nutter Butter granola bar
This peanut bar tastes like something you'd get from the vending machine, minus the thigh-inflating effects.
Dumb Question: What's a Calorie?
Scientifically speaking, it's the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. Nutritionally, a calorie is the amount of energy in food your body can use. Digestion releases nutrients in food, which your body converts to glucose and uses to fuel all of its functions, from making your heart beat to running after the UPS truck. We can thank (or curse) Lulu Hunt Peters for introducing the concept of counting calories. Her 1918 bestseller, Diet and Health With Key to the Calories, advocated the "calories in, calories out" method as a way to regulate weight. We've been adding them up ever since.
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Related links:
How Much Sugar is in Your Food?
Wine or Beer: Which Has Less Calories?
Resistance Is Futile!
Mother Teresa, Kate Moss... maybe they could limit themselves to 100 calories of these tempting treats. But we seriously doubt it!
Auntie Anne's original pretzel -- About 1/4 of a pretzelDon't get tied up in knots about it.
Bagel, plain, 4.5" -- 1/3 of 1 bagel And that's without any cream cheese.
Burger King Double Whopper with Cheese -- 1/10 of 1 burgerThere's almost an entire day's worth of fat in one sandwich.
Haagen-Dazs chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream -- 2 1/2 Tbsp You're going to need a smaller cone.
KFC Hot Wings -- 1 1/4 wings Even with the bone in, you don't get much.
Krispy Kreme powdered strawberry-filled doughnut -- 1/3 of a doughnutBarely enough to dunk in your coffee.
Peanut M&M's -- 10 candies They've never looked so small before, have they?
McDonald's French Fries, large order -- 1/6 of a serving, or 1 oz And forget about ketchup.
Papa John's Pan Crust Cheese Pizza, 12" -- About 1/4 of 1 slice Still fattening, any way you slice it.
Sara Lee Original Cream Cheesecake -- 1/2 of 1 serving You can always share your slice with a friend.
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Related links:
How Much Sugar is in Your Food?