What 100 Calories of Your Favorite Junk Food Really Looks Like (2024)

It’s happened to the best of us. You convinced yourself that justone chip wouldn’t hurt. But one led to anotherand beforeyou knew it, you were left with an empty bag, greasy fingertips and aaallthe regrets.

But what did you really just put into your body? Most of us have no idea how many calories are in our favorite snacks, making it dangerously easy for themto add up.Since portion control is an essential aspect of dieting and health, being able to visualize appropriate serving sizes is a powerful skill to have.

We’vecompiled a visual guide to 100-calorie portions of your favorite snacks, for your viewing pleasure (orhorror).

Chips

A measly handful of chips— 9.5 Lays, 8 Doritos, or 13 Hot Cheetos —is enough to set you back 100 calories.

Oreos

Satisfy (or not, probably) your sweet tooth with just under 2 Oreos.

Cookies

Chips Ahoy! cookies are comparable to Oreos — 2 cookies and you’re out.

Fruit snacks

A slightly healthier option, fruit snacks contain 100 calories per 17 pieces.

Pretzels

Pop in 18 mini pretzels or 10 pretzel crisps for a quick, crunchy snack.

Cheez-Its

If you prefer some cheese with your crunch, opt for 18 Cheez-Its instead.

Goldfish

For another cheesy option, you can down 39 Goldfish before hitting the limit.

Popcorn

Netflix and snack with 2 ¼ cups of popcorn. Good luck not finishing that before the movie starts.

Chips and salsa

Dip responsibly with 7 tortilla chips and ¼ cup of salsa.

Trail mix

Just under 2.5 tablespoons of trail mix contains 100 calories.And let’s be honest — you’re really just picking out the M&M’s.

Pirate’s Booty

Keep it under 28 pieces of Pirate’s Booty to keep your own in check.

Pop-Tarts

Chow down on asad half of a Pop-Tartfor a sugary grab-and-go snack.

Cereal

Though calorie content varies widely between cereals,Frosted Flakes contains about 100 calories per ⅔cup.

Ramen

Slurp slowly — just ⅓of a container of this quintessential college mealwill bring you up to 100 calories.

Ice cream

A mere ⅓cup of ice cream is enough to push you over the top. (We’re cryingtoo.)

Energy bars

They’re called “energy bars” for a reason — less than half of a CLIF bar amounts to 100 calories.

Soda

Gulping down an 8.5-oz bottle of co*ke is equivalent to downing 100 liquid calories.

Hot cocoa

Just over half a cup of hot cocoa will have to do to keep you warm through the winter.

Of course, caloric content isn’t the sole determiner of nutrition, and not all calories are created equal.Our advice? Ditch these calorically-dense but nutritionally-empty portions and opt instead for thesehealthier swapsfor better and more satisfying snacking.

But when you absolutelyneedthose Hot Cheetos to get through the night, practice portion control and remember: Moderation is key.