Betcha can’t eat just one… and here’s why:

When 100 Calorie snack packages were first introduced, I was intrigued. This was the answer to my chocoholic  prayers! Finally, it seemed, I could safely enjoy snacks without overindulgence and subsequent feelings of guilt. I proceeded to purchase my first box of KitKat Singles.

One box and 20 minutes later, however, I was feeling as guilty as ever, had lost faith in the idea, and deemed these packs a total total waste of wrapping. I went back to regular sized bars when I needed something sweet to snack on because I felt I was being kinder to the environment.

I would now like to share three critical physiological facts I have learned about high-calorie snack foods and our insatiable cravings for them:

1. Your body wants to eat more of these high-calorie foods.
Thousands of years of living a hunter/gatherer lifestyle with periods of feast and famine has caused our bodies to view high-calorie items as being more “valuable” due to their insulation and storage potential. The more calories we have stored, the longer we are able to survive during periods of starvation. Reward pathways in our brain have thus evolved to elicit feelings of pleasure when we eat calorie-dense foods.

Once stimulated, the reward pathway functions to increase the odds that we will repeat the behavior. It is thus little wonder why we continue to eat high-fat-high-calorie foods after getting a brief taste of them.

2. Calorie-dense foods have become even more stimulating since times when naturally occurring food items such as animal fats and honey were “typical” calorie-dense food items. These more natural items also have more nutritional value than our energy-dense but nutrient-empty favorite “junk” foods. Our reward pathways are therefore bombarded with more potent stimulation, which further strengthens the connection between the junk food item and pleasure felt, which in turn causes us to crave these foods…and sometimes leads to food addiction.

Food companies aim to stimulate reward pathways related to fat, sugar, salt and food texture. The more reward pathways stimulated, the more likely you will not be able eat just one. 

3. Reward feels good; so feeling low, or bored or stressed may lead us to food as something to make us feel good again. Making matters worse, over time the same amount of food becomes a less salient “cure” for these feelings, and we need more and more of the stimulus to experience the same amount of pleasure. Tolerance develops and a person may be on their way to binge eating as a habit. This may help explain why some people can conquer a craving by eating a small amount while others find themselves out of control after the first taste. Your level of control may be different for some foods than others

That said, realizing that biology is at work too when you consider your perceived lack of willpower is important for not being too critical of yourself.

Remember why your body is leaning towards eating that second KitKat single and use this information to help guide your decision making.  

Be sure to check out the 6 step guide for ending emotional eating and cast your vote for or against 100 calorie snack packs.

Ainsley Pemberton is a Food, Mood and Fitness Coach at the Healthy Weights Clinic.

She holds an honours degree in Kinesiology and Psychology. Click here for other posts by Ainsley