I have been curious about why all the food manufacturers have jumped on the 100 calorie band wagon and why we, as consumers, are believing that this is "diet food" and ultimately good for us. Essentially, all that these snack packs offer us, are controlled amounts...or as the diet industry loves to call it....PORTION CONTROL. Aside from the 100 calories, do we actually know what we are eating or how much sugar we are consuming?

The truth is, we are paying a lot more for these "healthy snacks" than we would if we just bought them in the regular packaging and the only thing getting thinner is our wallets! The manufacturers LOVE this new trend because they can sell us LESS product for MORE money. We are buying in because we believe that we are making healthy choices for ourselves and our children. This is simply false. We need to stop fooling ourselves.

I came across a wonderful website that VISUALLY shows us the amount of sugar we are consuming. When you visit http://www.sugarstacks.com/lowfat.htm you will see the amount of sugar in these snack packs. It is a real eye opener!

Keep your snacking simple...if it was made by nature and not processed by machines...it is a better choice for your body and your health.

The question that I have been asked the most since I have started this journey is "Why is sugar so bad?" The following is one of the best articles I have read about the effects of sugar on the body and why it might be beneficial to reduce or eliminate sugar from your food choices.
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Sugar has become a staple in our modern diet, but why is sugar bad for your health? Many foods we eat on a regular basis are loaded with sugar. Sometimes you can’t even taste the sugar but it’s still in there. As delicious as sugar-laden foods may taste, the truth is sugar is just bad for your health, especially when you start to overindulge in it.

Sugar is a sticky substance and if left in the bloodstream (instead of being burned as energy) the particles will start to stick to the cells. The result is that if you are consuming a lot of sugar each day, you will get more wrinkles, will experience a lack of mobility in the joints, dry brittle nails and hair and a range of other health problems.

Reduce the amount of sugar you eat and you will soon notice a positive change in the way your skin looks. The reason for this is that refined carbohydrates such as white bread and other white flour products, are high in sugar and will cause an inflammation of the skin. This in turn creates high levels of free radicals which attack the collagen that keeps the skin stay firm. Without enough of this collagen, you will start to notice wrinkles. 

Not only are free radicals bad news for your skin they are also deadly for the body, which is another reason why sugar is bad for your health. Free radicals can cause a lot of damage in healthy cells and lead to many illnesses of the body.

Sugary foods can also compromise your immune system. Research has shown that white blood cells are less efficient at fighting illness when exposed to sugar. A diet high in sugar will also raise your insulin levels quickly which can lead to many other health problems. You’ll also lack energy as a result of these sugar spikes and the drop in blood sugar that follows.

It’s no secret that obesity and weight-related illnesses are on the rise in many countries and this is directly attributed to our diets and lifestyle. Our bodies simply aren’t able to cope with such high sugar levels and this is why illnesses like diabetes are at an all time high. Cutting the excess sugar out of your diet is one of the best things you can do for your body.

It’s not easy especially the first few weeks when you will still experience some sort of craving for sugar, but you can try to substitute with fresh fruit which has a natural form of sugar and eventually your cravings will pass and you’ll start to feel and look great.
(Sourced from www.healthymenumailer.com)