I can't throw a stick in my office without hitting one of those 100 calorie snack packs on someone's desk. They're a popular item in the office candy store but people also bring in their own. I don't get the allure, quite honestly, because it's either recreated approximations of the snacks you love (the "Oreos" inside the 100 calorie Oreo snack packs bear zero resemblance to an actual Oreo) or little versions of the same thing you can get in the regular size pack, only with a bunch of printing on the package. Sure, it's convenience and enforced portion control, but also, really not eco-friendly. How long does it take to package up the same thing in your kitchen, using reusable sandwich bags? Two minutes? One?

So, maybe you don't care about the environment but let's talk bottom line. The folks on Wall Street just looooooove the fact that you're too busy to portion out your 100 calories for yourself, because these 100 calorie packs are now making them $200 million per year!

Can you imagine what we could accomplish with that kind of cashola? What kind of improvements we could make in the world? Sure, maybe you don't care that it costs 200% more for the same amount of food, (Check out the worst offenders) what you do with your money is your business, right? Sure, as long as you're going to waste your cash with your eyes wide open, but let's not pretend that someone is twisting your arm to buy these silly diet convenience foods.

I wonder if it's not the actual healthy food that costs so much, but rather our perception of what is healthy and what is not. Take for example, that stupid Special K water that Kellogg's is trying to convince you is the very best and happiest way to take care of your body. It's something like $1-2 per bottle, depending on the deal you score. All that for a measly 5 grams of protein and some sugar? The manufacturers are trying like crazy to convince us to buy into their concept of the world, and until we say no and put our foot down, I suspect that we'll still be sending our green straight into the pockets of big business.