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Should You Eat Low-Fat Foods?

5/27/2014

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The production and advertisement of low-fat food products has skyrocketed in the past few decades - likely due to the research that came out 40 years ago which supposedly linked fat to heart disease. New research has surfaced that challenges this long-held belief, revealing that fat has a "null" effect (not bad, not good) on heart disease risk.(1)
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Should you eat low fat foods?    Bailey DeBarmore blog

Another theme in "food media" these days is buying local, organic, and natural. These terms can carry many meanings which means they can be confusing, too. But with the resurfacing of the Paleo diet and its followers, fuel has been added to the proverbial fire. The premise is that eating foods that are minimally processed (if at all) is more beneficial for our bodies, avoiding the preservatives and other chemicals added to foods for shelf life and appearance that our body doesn't recognize.

I want to arm you with some knowledge about low fat foods, so when confronted with the aisles of options at the grocery store, you feel equipped to make the decision that is right for you.

  • First I'll teach you what the different types of fat-reduced products are and what the claims mean.
  • Then we'll talk about two different categories of food: foods you can have low-fat without worrying about menacing ingredients, and foods you should choose the full-fat option.
  • On the way you'll learn the reasons behind these categories, and see examples that illustrate each point.

What Does "Low-Fat" Mean?


The FDA has approved a number of claims concerning fat content of food which allows manufacturers to display certain messages such as "light" and "low fat" on their packaging.(2) Here's a summary of what they mean:
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Fat-Free: Contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per labeled serving size or typical amount consumed; contains no ingredient that is fat.
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Reduced Fat: At least 25% less fat than reference food (margarine versus reduced fat margarine).
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Low Fat: Contains 3 grams of fat or less per labeled serving size or typical amount consumed.
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Light/Lite: If a reference food (margarine) is 50% calories from fat, then "light" margarine must have at least 50% reduced fat comparably.

Category A: Choose Low-Fat Options


When milk manufacturers make reduced fat and skim milk, they don't replace the fat with other fillers. This is why whole milk and skim milk taste different (heck they look different!) They take the full-fat milk from the cow, and they spin it fast to separate the fat globs and the rest of the milk. Then they can remove a little or a lot of the fat globs and you are left with a certain percent-fat milk.

Dairy products are made from milk. That means yogurt, cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream, too. So choosing a 0% or 2% Chobani yogurt is OK - especially because their ingredient is spectacular(ly short). And while the fat in these products packs an energy punch (9 calories per gram), you typically only use these foods in small amounts - a cup of yogurt, a dollop of sour cream, a glass of milk. So you get a few more calories, but you also get the fat-dependent nutrients that your body needs to function at its best. Scroll to check out the ingredient labels of some low-fat and reduced-fat dairy products. Pause at the fat-free ones though and see how different (and not so good) those ingredients look.
Should you eat low fat foods?   Bailey DeBarmore blog
One of the reasons fat-free cheese and sour cream don't taste so great is that they are meant to have a certain texture. That thick creamy texture is achieved with fat - but if there is no fat at all, they have to add in some of those not-so-great ingredients to try to trick you. So, these are a pseudo-category - reduced-fat, low-fat, and light dairy products typically still have OK ingredient lists - but beware of fat-free.
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Side note: Meat, poultry, and fish are also products that contain animal fat, like dairy. However, their labeling is different - they don't have "low fat, fat free, reduced fat" etc. claims. But what you will want to look for is:
  • Beef: leaner cuts of meat and ground beef with a higher first % and lower second % (93%-7% versus 80%-20%). The second % is the amount of fat.Lean cuts include those that say "round", "roast", or "sirloin" in the name.
  • Chicken: remove the skin and visible fat. 
  • Pork: remove visible fat, limit amount of bacon you eat.
  • Fish: good to go!

Category B: Choose Full-Fat Options.


Myth: Fat-free and low-fat foods have fewer calories.
If you're looking to buy graham crackers for a yummy smores night with your kiddos, you may find yourself quarreling within between the reduced fat graham crackers and the regular ones. Here's what I want you to do:

(1) Turn the boxes and look at the nutrition facts.
(2) What's the serving size?
(3) What's the grams of fat per serving size?
(4) What's the calories per serving size?

Whoa - did the answer to number (4) surprise you?! MORE CALORIES! That's why I think it's important to talk about the fat-free fads. Many people buy fat-free foods (or low-fat) thinking "It's less calories, and better for me!" or even "It's less calories...so I can eat more of it!" Unfortunately they are often the same amount of calories, and instead of having the fat, they are stuffed with chemicals and sugars that make your tongue feel like it is eating fat (or at least that's the manufacturers goal - most of us can tell the difference between real-fat and low-fat).
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*datem is an emulsifier

Fact: Fat-free and low-fat foods have the same calories, with worse ingredients.
Should you eat low fat foods?    Bailey DeBarmore blog
(source)
Carbohydrate-based fat replacers:
Cellulose maltodextrin, gums, modified food starch, fiber, polydextrose - provide thickening and stability to fat-free products.

Protein-based fat replacers: used particularly in frozen and refrigerated reduced fat and fat free options such as cream soup and baked goods.
When food manufacturers remove fat from a food, they need to put something else in there so that it doesn't taste awful. So they use other ingredients to try to mimic the variety of tasks achieved by food - including maltodextrins, modified food starch, fibers (carbohydrates) and emulsifiers, flavoring agents, and proteins (whey). So, when you choose a fat-free salad dressing to your oh-so-healthy salad, you are having sugar instead of fat. And the sugar in your food spikes the sugar in your blood, which tells your body to store the nutrients and calories you consume as fat. Then the sugar in your blood bottoms out because its all being emptied from your blood to store, and your body wants you to eat more. But when you eat fat, it doesn't spike your blood sugar. So it doesn't tell your body to store your food calories as fat. And it doesn't bottom out your blood sugar - in fact it makes you feel full and satisfied with less.

A good rule of thumb is - is the ingredient list short? are the ingredients pronounceable? and do you recognize them as food-related products?

Foods to choose the full-fat options:
This category in itself falls into 2 subcategories: foods that are primarily fat, and foods that are not. Always pick the regular option - Real mayonnaise, regular salad dressings, regular margarine and butter. And for the chips, crackers cookies, and other grain-based products, go ahead with the regular graham crackers! You'll be passing up on artificial preservatives and flavorings, which I promise your body won't miss.
Foods that are primarily fat:
Mayonnaise
Salad dressing
Oils and cooking sprays
Butter and margarine
Foods that are not primarily fat:
Chips, crackers, cookies
Granola bars
Protein bars
Cereals
Breads and baked goods

Do you feel overwhelmed at the grocery store? Pressured by the media voices in your head to choose the low fat option but unsure what that means?

Did this article help?

-Bailey

References:
(1) Chowdhury R, et al. Association of dietary, circulating, and supplemental fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(6):398-406.
(2) Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide. 9. Appendix A: Definitions of Nutrient Content Claims. http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/labelingnutrition/ucm064911.htm
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