Snacking in the Line of Duty

The two South Beach brand items we tried, the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and the whole wheat snack crackers, also boasted whole grain as their first ingredient and had a respectable 3 grams of fiber. But our tasters thought the crackers were bland, and one reviewer simply described the cookie with the comment, "Oh, dear."

Both the Special K offerings (Vanilla Snack Bites and 90-calorie Chocolatey Drizzle Bar) included the biggest doses of vitamins and minerals, and Farrell was impressed that the snack bites had 15 percent of the daily requirement of iron and folic acid. Our tasters thought they were crisp and light, but also a little too sweet. Pat's 11-year-old son Jack liked these as well, and went out of his way to say he did not think they were too sweet.

Another sweet snack that got a special mention from Farrell and our tasters was Hershey's 100 Calorie Dark Chocolate Bar, a good alternative for chocolate lovers because dark chocolate contains more healthful flavonols (which relax blood vessels, improve blood flow, decrease blood clotting and reduce inflammation) than milk chocolate. The individual packaging may be helpful to those chocoholics who have trouble limiting themselves to a few pieces. (Farrell's personal strategy for limiting chocolate intake: keep the bag in the freezer and take out only one or two pieces at a time.) Farrell and our tasters also liked Quaker Crunchy Chocolate Granola Bites and Quaker Cinnamon Streusel Mini Delights, both of which consist primarily of whole grains and offer the bonus of a little calcium. Cookies that passed muster with our tasters were Oreo Thin Crisps, the Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk Dark Chocolate Cookies, and the Keebler Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper Cookies. Farrell conceded that they were at least low in fat. The Oreos have zero saturated and trans fat, but its sodium level (160 mg) is higher than the other two.

Among the salty snacks, Farrell especially liked SunChips Harvest Cheddar Mini Bites, because their primary ingredient is whole-grain wheat flour and they have only 110 milligrams of sodium, compared with Chex Cheddar, which has 320mg (13 percent of the daily limit) of sodium and no whole grain. Both types of Goldfish we tried also listed whole-grain wheat flour as their first ingredient, but their sodium levels were higher than the SunChips and both types tasted bland.

Overall, Farrell saw value in the 100-calorie category, "because they were all portioned and planned, and planning is a key to successful weight management." It's the impulsive choices that often get us into trouble, she says. Many people find it easier to control themselves if they're given an individual pack of something than if they have to count out Cheetos. "If you've got to have a bag of Cheetos," she says, "this is a good option." Just keep in mind that many of these products won't help you reach your ideal nutritional mix. (A 100-calorie bag of Baked Cheetos does not count as a grain in your food pyramid.) If you're taking an opportunity to eat something your body actually needs by eating something that's simply empty calories, that's not smart, even if it is low-fat. While we all need to cheat a little once in a while, try to expand your snacking choices to include some of Farrell's healthy-choice favorites:

100-Calorie Snack Ideas
These snacks taste good, are low-fat and add nutritional essentials to your diet.