Read it before you eat it!

Low fat, light and diet foods may be very attractive for weight loss seekers, although these foods are made for weight management purposes but actually they may not be safe and good for our health.

Low fat foods contain less fat than full fat foods which seems a good reason to choose these foods. The truth is that the amount of fat is not the only difference between low fat and full fat foods.

When reducing the fat content the taste is always affected (that’s why when we eat these foods, we need more to get satisfied), and food manufacturers become obligated to add other substances to compensate for the loss of taste so they usually add very large amounts of sugar, salt or chemical substances like artificial sweeteners. The addition of these substances make the calorie content of low fat and full fat foods nearly the same, the fact that may depress the efficacy of eating low fat foods to lose weight. For example, replacing a regular cookie by a low fat one means saving less than 10 calories only!

In addition to the surprising calorie content of low fat foods, they may be harmful for our health. Where the high sugar content may raise the blood sugar levels, the high salt and sodium content may raise the blood pressure, the chemical and artificial substances may cause severe health problems and cancer, and the fat used in low fat foods may be saturated or Trans fat which increase the risk of heart diseases.

So we just have to know when and how to consume low fat, light and diet foods. The most important points are to consume these foods in moderation and to read carefully the nutritional facts. Be aware of the calorie content, the type of fat used, the amount of sugar and salt, and the presence of harmful chemical substances.

In some cases, low fat is recommended, as the skimmed milk that is a healthy choice for all adults and kids above 2 years old. But in some other cases, low fat and diet may be harmful, as diet coke which is a very bad choice for kids, pregnant women, and people with phenylketonuria disease.

Dietitian Dina Moghraby