Are 100-calorie packs friends or foes?

I recently walked into my sorority house and noticed one of my friends eating an Oreo cookie thin crisp 100-calorie pack. I was intrigued and had never tried these snacks so I asked my friend what she thought of the snack.

"They're really tasty," she said. "The only problem is this is the third one I've eaten ... so I believe it's not a 100-calorie pack anymore."

Oops. My friend had great intentions, and she was attempting to make good decisions about her health. But do these snacks merit the nutritional value to satisfy?

Suzanne Farrela, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said in Snacking in the Line of Duty "most prepackaged 100-calorie snacks don't pack the nutritional punch of alternatives like a cup of yogurt, a handful of nuts, a bag of cherry tomatoes or a piece of fresh fruti, and they tend to be more expensive per serving than buying the same product in regular-size packages."

However, she said the advantage of these snacks merit some value because the way we snack can definitly make or break a diet. For example, if you substitute one of these 100-calorie pack for a 240-calorie candy bar each day, that results in a 16-pound weight loss in a year. And some of these 100-calorie snacks pack some nutritional value.

Here are some of the best choices of 100-calorie pack items:

Quaker's Chewy Peanut Butter Chocalate Chip Granola Bar
- Why? The main ingredient is whole grain, contains 10 percent of the daily requirement of calcium, 3 grams of fiber (10 percent of the daily value) and only 3 grams of fat. The tasters also thought it was tasty.

Special K Vanilla Snack Bites and 90-calories Chocolatey Drizzle Bar
- Why? They had the largest amount of vitamins with 15 percent of the daily requirement of iron and folic acid. And one of the taster's kids even liked this snack.

Hershey's 100 Calorie Dark Chocolate Bar
- Why? They allow chocolate lovers to indugle in moderation, and dark chocolate contains more healthy flavonols that relax blood vessels, improve blood flow, decrease blod clotting and reduce inflammation.

And just so you know, the Oreo Thin Crisps passed Farrel's test because they have zero saturated and trans fats, but its sodium level is higher than many other snacks at 160 mg. Farrel recommended Quaker Crunchy Chocolate Granola Bites as a better choice because of the added calcium and whole grains.

If you have a crazing for junk food that you just can't resist, 100-calorie packs are a good option. But routinly eating these packs will not get you to your ideal weight goal because they often are just empty calories, even if they are low-fat, Farrel said.

Just as my friend eating the three packs of Oreo Thin Crisps learned, eating a more satisfying snack or meal will help you in the long run not to overeat.

Here are some more 100-calories snack ideas with a nutritional bang:

* 3 cups popped low-fat popcorn (use an air popper if possible, and add only a little salt and butter spray)
* 10 baked tortilla chips with 1/3 cup salsa
* 3 oz baby carrots (about 20) with 2 tbsp lite ranch dressing
* ¾ cup minestrone soup
* 1 6-oz. container nonfat yogurt
* 1 container nonfat sugar-free pudding
* 4 mini rice cakes with 2 tsp peanut butter
* 6 oz tomato juice, ¾ oz lite cheese, 6 mini wheat crackers
* Apple with 1 oz low-fat cheese
* 30 grapes
* ½ cup edamame
* 14 almonds