My Top 10 - One Hundred Calorie Snacks Review

I'm a woman in her 40's who is considered slim. I would love to say that is because I have a fast metabolism and I can eat anything I want and not gain an ounce but I'd be lying if I did. I USED to be able to do just that but now, if I look at a cinnamon bun, my waistline starts expanding.

But I am not about to go through life without snacking. In fact, snacking between meals is considered a good thing to keep people from getting crazy hungry and eating too much at mealtime.

I've struck a balance between snacking and gaining weight. I found snacks I like that are either good for me or at least low in calories and fat so I don't have to stress gaining weight just because I want a treat. I like both salty and sweet snacks so I have included both in my top 10 list of 100 calorie snacks I eat when I want to feel like I'm indulging but, in fact, I'm really not. I have left out certain diet desserts because they're overly processed, generally unappealing, and loaded with crud that I would rather not ingest.

These snacks are good for everyone, not just for those watching their weight.

In no particular order, what I reach for when the hungries creep up on me.

1. Rold Gold Classic Pretzel Sticks
Yes, these have salt on them but the sodium really is pretty minimal. You can have 48 pretzel sticks and only ingest 100 calories and NO fat! You should see me dutifully counting out exactly 48 sticks then keeping four of five aside for the "big finish". I hate when I eat a snack and, before I realize it, it's gone and I didn't have the pleasure of the last bite. These aren't packed with vitamins but they don't have anything unhealthy in them either.

2. Jolly Time Healthy Pop Butter Flavor Microwave Popcorn, 100 Calorie Mini Bags
You would be amazed at how much popcorn you can eat and only ingest 100 calories doing it! I was turned off of microwave popcorn for a while after I heard a guy who ate it a lot developed lung cancer but it turns out he had a thing for inhaling the freshly opened bags every time and that was the issue, not the popcorn itself. Each bag serves up exactly 100 calories of buttery popcorn with 2 grams of fat. There is no trans fat in this popcorn. The reason I choose this brand is because all the popcorn usually pops so I don't have annoying kernels at the bottom of the bag and a bag packs a walloping 9 grams of fiber! Fiber fills you up, keeps your digestion tract moving along, and may even aid in lowering cholesterol. If you don't mind plain popcorn, you can get mini bags with no buttery taste and no fat.

3. Skinny Cow Fat Free Fudge Bars
Chocolate lovers rejoice! Now you can have your chocolate and ice cream too! These ice cream bars on a stick taste like the old fashioned Fudgesicles I ate as a kid, but richer. They're really good and satisfy my craving for chocolate and for a frozen treat at the same time. One bar will cost you 100 calories, no fat, and give you a little bit of protein and calcium for good measure.

4. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers in 100 Calorie Pouches
While you don't have to buy these in the pouches, these cheesy fishies are so good that you may end up eating far more than you intended if you don't have your portion already packaged for you. These little pouches of cheddery goodness are 100 calories, 3.5 grams of non-trans fat, and pack a little protein. If you have good control, just count out about 40 crackers and enjoy. I like the pouches for freshness but also have the "milk cartons" of these snacks around for the rest of the family.

5. Nabisco Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers
You have to remember this old favorite. Well, these are old favorites of mine! I used to love chowing down on Nilla Wafer cookies when I was a kid. Now I can again. In moderation, of course. Seven full sized Nilla Wafers are only 100 calories and the reduced fat version has around 1.7 grams of fat for all seven. These don't add much to your nutrition but they taste darn good and won't make you feel guilty after you eat them. I have mine with a hot cup of green tea and savor the memories.

6. South Beach Diet 100 Calorie Snack Bars, Tasty Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Flavor
They have several flavors but I prefer this one even though it has a tad more fat in it than some of the other varieties. This snack bar is chewy and sweet - but not overly so. It has enough substance to make a nice snack without causing any guilt. This bar is 100 calories and 3 grams of fat. However, the fat is offset by 3 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Chewy, tasty, and filling, I grab one of these bars when I need a little energy boost or when I have the extra 3 grams of fat to spare. They really taste good!

7. CocoaVia Original Dark Chocolate Bars
I LOVE these chocolate bars and I also love the fact that they are heart healthy. They are 100 calories each with 6 grams of HEART HEALTHY fat. They are packed with cocoa flavanols which help promote healthy circulation and they have fiber (2 grams), calcium (25%), Vitamin C (15%), Vitamin E (20%), B6, B12, and Folic Acid (15% of the RDA each). These are real chocolate with nothing artificial in them. They come individually wrapped so you don't go overboard and come in a load of varieties. I love all of them but I tend to eat the original bars most. Now you can eat a chocolate bar and feel good about it! These are small but just enough to satisfy my chocolate craving.

8. Perry's No Sugar Added Fat Free Butterscotch Swirl Ice Cream
I also like the raspberry swirl variety. This ice cream is really good. I am not a huge fan of ice cream but now and then I feel like something sweet, frozen, and decadent. I feel like I am getting all three with this ice cream but, in reality, I am only getting 90 calories for a half of a cup (I add a little to make it 100 calories), zero fat, and very little sugar. I also get a decent amount of protein, calcium, and Vitamin D while I indulge. If you have an extra 200 calories in your calorie bank, have a little over a cup of the ice cream. It's sooooo good! The butterscotch is sweet and gooey and the ice cream is full bodied. Love it!

9. StoneyField Farms 2-a-Day Apricot Mango Fat Free Yogurt
This yogurt is all organic with nothing artificial in it. It tastes amazing! These yogurts come in six ounce cups and in big 24 ounce tubs. I buy both but I usually buy the Apricot Mango variety in a six ounce cup. What is 2-a-Day? If you eat just two six ounce containers of this yogurt a day, you will get 100% of the calcium you need per day! I really need calcium since I don't drink milk and very rarely eat cheese so this snack is great for me. A six ounce cup is 120 calories and, if you want to get technical, you can stop when there is still about an ounce left in the container to make it a 100 calorie snack. But, with all the plusses this snack has, the extra 20 calories is well worth eating. Each six ounce container has 50% of the daily recommended calcium for adults along with a whopping seven grams of fiber. There are several other vitamins, including a hefty dose of Vitamin D, to make this a healthy snack for everyone.

They have many flavors - all in the same calorie range. You can opt for the higher calcium variety or the regular which has 25% of the calcium an adult needs daily. Nothing artificial about this yogurt and, guys, it tastes amazing! (I know guys tend to shun yogurt for some reason.) There are many great flavors so you don't feel like you're eating yogurt. It's more like pudding!

My all time favorite 100 calorie snack will always be...
10. Vitalicious Muffin Tops
These all natural, preservative free muffin tops taste amazing. You would never know they were healthy! There is a wide variety of flavors to choose from. You can opt for a fruity blend with real fruit, go for a delicious corn muffin top, or choose one of their several chocolate varieties. I love the Corn and Double Chocolate Dream tops. These are chocolate muffins with both chocolate and white chocolate chips. Amazing!

Each is wrapped in plastic and must be kept frozen because they are freshly baked. A muffin top is 100 calories and has either no fat or up to 1.5 grams of fat depending on the variety you choose. You get a whopping five grams of fiber, 15 vitamins and minerals, and soy and oat bran. If you prefer actual muffins, you can get two ounce muffins rather than two ounce muffin tops with all the same benefits just in muffin form. For heartier appetites, you can opt for four ounce muffins that are HUGE and only 200 calories and barely any or no fat. Delish. Once you eat these, you'll wonder how you could stomach processed baked goods. I never went back and even my kids eat these (by the threes and fours) and they usually shun everything I buy that reeks of healthiness.

There you have my top 10 list of 100 calorie snacks that keep my weight at an even keel. I enjoy two of these snacks a day or I eat fruit and/or almonds. Do you have a favorite low calorie snack? Let me know! I'm always on the lookout for more!

Thanks for reading!
Patty