Hey Dad, Let's Talk 2| My Beef with the New 100 Calorie Snack Packs |
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Psychologically, the advertising possibilities are endless. People are falling for this hook, line and sinker. Made by Nabisco, these "100 Calorie Packs" offer any one of your favorite, forbidden snack foods in a mini little package. Doritos, Oreo Cookies, Ritz Crackers, Teddy Grahams . . . whatever you’re craving, chances are you can find it all wrapped up in pretty little “100 Calorie” bow. ... At first sight, it seems like a great idea. Hey, I can have oreo cookies without blowing my diet?! Yes, yes you can. Granted, tiny paper-thin oreo cookies that really taste nothing like the real thing (nor do they have a creamy center). Or take the Doritos for example; I’d feel like a rabbit eating them. They’re these itty-bitty orange-colored triangles that you’ve got to nibble with your front teeth and hope to get a bit of flavor on your tongue as you swallow them. Really, I would have to eat at least four packages before I’d feel remotely satisfied. So, here’s my question: why not eat a handful of real Doritos instead? The argument, of course, is that having your favorite snack isolated into little "100 calorie" packages will prevent you from over-indulging and will therefore help you lose weight without having to give up your favorite snacks entirely. But do you really need to spend all that extra money on a stripped down, flattened version of the real thing in order to maintain self-control? If you have the self-control to only eat one package of 100 calorie oreos in a day instead of four packs, then you should also have enough self-control to only eat one or two real oreo cookies in a day rather than a whole box. So, why not do that instead? For one thing, it’s a lot cheaper, and for another thing, it’s a heck of a lot tastier! Wouldn’t you rather bite into a thick oreo cookie with a creamy center, than an almost tasteless, dry mini-me version of the same thing? And besides, like any other “diet version” of the real thing, it isn't going to satisfy your craving. Eventually, you're going to give in and gorge on the real thing. So, that’s my beef with these 100 Calorie Snack Packs: Marketers profiting off overweight people who just want to be thin and still enjoy tasty snacks at the same time. These clever marketers are tricking you into spending twice as much money on something that isn’t the same as the original; nor are they even necessary. Like I said, if you can limit yourself to only one package of mini Ritz Crackers a day, then you already have the self-control to limit yourself to one handful of the real, normal-sized Ritz Crackers a day! It’s basically the same amount of calories consumed without having to cut half the taste and texture. And besides, when you’re visiting friends and family, they aren’t going to put out a bowl filled with ten packages of 100 Calorie Doritos. They’re gonna put out a bowl of regular, thick, tasty Doritos. So, if you’ve already learned to limit yourself at home, you won’t go ballistic and wolf down the whole bowl when you’re visiting someone else’s home. So, what is my point anyway? Once again, the snack food industry is trying to get more of your money. They don’t care about your health or your diet. Only you can change your eating habits. If you want more self-control, set some limits and goals for yourself. One thing I do personally is limit myself to only two cookies a day. It keeps me from going overboard, which I would if I hadn’t previously set boundaries for myself. It works! I don’t need to buy special packages of “two cookies” rather than a box of fifty cookies to achieve this measure of self-control. And neither do you. Consider Colossians 2:20-23, which says: "Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 'Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!'? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."
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(c) 2007 - Bekah Ferguson Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. www.bekahferguson.com Licensed under Creative Commons.
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Whoever it was who came up with the concept of “100 Calorie Packs” is a marketing genius. I mean seriously, this person (or persons) has hit the jack pot. With the countless diet merchandise and foods already out there, it’s impressive that someone came up with something so deceptively simple; it has already permeated every grocery and convenience store shelf out there with immediate success. 
