I bought some rasins... to have at snack time during the day...

What's your thoughts.

Lots of sugar, but pretty low GI.

Pretty high calorie, high carbohydrate snack that digests rather slowly.

Better than potato chips, for sure. Maybe not has good as an apple, or carrots, depending on your goals.

Certainly raisins can be a great part of a healthy diet, but many underestimate their calorie content. 1 cup has 493 calories!

I don't think raisins are a good snack.

I think raisins are good to put in snacks, but they're too sweet on their own.

From The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan (http://www.amazon.com/Volumetrics-Weight-Control-Plan-Fewer-Calories/dp/0060932724): Here's an example of how volume affects eating. Raisins are dried grapes. But 100 calories of raisins fill only one-quarter cup, while 100 calories of fresh, whole grapes fill one and two-thirds cups. You'll feel satisfied after one and two-thirds cups of grapes, but if you're eating raisins, you're likely to keep filling your mouth. The point is not to stop eating raisins (or chocolate, cheese, or other high-calorie, low-volume foods), but to realize that you're likely to take in many more calories before your body tells you you're full. If you're trying to manage your weight, eating more low-density foods (lower-calorie foods that have a lot of volume) will make you feel full while you drop pounds.

I make pancakes with egg whites, tofu, and oats, and I throw raisins in them. I also throw raisins on salads and sometimes in cereal, but I never eat raisins on their own.

I also throw raisins on salads and sometimes in cereal, but I never eat raisins on their own.

Great advice!

Good advice. If I'm going to eat them plain I always buy them in the little cartons to make sure I don't get more than ~150 cals. Lately I've been mixing a handful in with dry roasted almonds. Yumm!

I bought some rasins... to have at snack time during the day...

What's your thoughts.

I subscribe to the idea that all meals are the same - a combination of pro/fat/carbs - so raisins by themselves would not follow that. Plus as others have mentioned, 150 calories or so of raisins is not that many pieces, and I could easily eat 4-5x that amount without blinking.