Ask Karen: 100 calorie packs

By Karen McNew
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: March 14, 2008

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Q:  I have been buying those 100 calorie packs for easy calorie counting.  I am wondering if some of them are really only 100 calories?

A:  It’s easier to calculate calories when you eat foods that are easy to add right?  That is how I feel at least.  I am a calorie counter too and often find myself eating moreo f the same foods on a regular basis because I now have their calories memorized. 

I took your question to local Registered Dietitian, Dorothy Shaver who says, “Yes, if it says 100 calories, it has to have 100 calories.  But, check the serving size on the package to make sure it’s one whole bag.”

Some food items will appear to have a very low calorie count per serving and then I notice the bottle or bag contains two or more servings.  In that case, you take the number of servings and multiply it by the calories per serving to get the total calories for the package.

There is a calorie counting website called http://www.calorieking.com that will provide you with the amount of calories in foods you buy at the store or order at restaurants.  You can usually go to the restaurants website to get nutrition information about the foods they serve.

Bonus Information:
Dorothy also says watch out for some items that say zero fat grams because some spray oils may say zero next to the fat content but a serving is “1/3 of a second.”

She says, “The manufacturer is able to put a zero because it’s less than 0.5 grams.  So, we need to be sure we look at the ingredient list.  If there’s oil in that list, there’s fat in that product.”