How Do You Feel About Fat-Free Products?

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How Do You Feel About Fat-Free Products?

October 9, 2007

As a child who came of age during the anti-fat furor, I still find myself drawn to fat-free products. But this lack of fat, as I have learned from reading many a label, doesn't necessarily translate into lower calories. Most of the fat-free products out there are highly processed to remove that fat. When it comes to milk though, I almost always choose non-fat, since the fat is taken out and nothing weird is added as a substitution.

So what about you...

Source

Poll Fat Free Food

29 Comments

Allytta 5 years 32 weeks

i go semi-fat free. light mayo, light everything, but not fat free. i like the taste and fat is also a good ingridient to our health, moderated of course.

ragus 5 years 32 weeks

I love when they have things like a candy bar or something thats just loaded with sugar is labeled FAT FREE! ~ what does that even mean at that point?

Mmmarshmallow 5 years 32 weeks

I go fat free for dairy products purely on a taste basis. I drink full fat milk now and go "Blergh!", since I've grown up on non-fat milk. The only dairy exception where I do not substitute a low fat version for a high fat version is ice-cream. Like wackdoodle said, the tendency I have with low fat ice-cream to overindulge, because of the word 'free'. For every other product apart from milk, yoghurt and cheese, I aim for the most unprocesed products as possible. I'm still recovering from the fact that Weight Watchers Australia d their 1 point chocolate mousses with partially hydrogenated oils to keep the calorie and overall fat content down! O_O Give me sugar and milk and cocoa over that ANY DAY!

wackdoodle 5 years 32 weeks

It depends on the product if it's dairy yes fat-free because I'm consuming more maybe 4 to 6 oz. If it's salad dressing then no fat-free because fat-free dressings are LOADED with sugar and HFCS to try to give them the same or equal mouth feel as the normal product. My RD pointed out that I'm using so little dressing anyway a tablespoon or less maybe 2 teaspoons that I'm working toward meeting my fat requirement for the day instead of away for it. Sat fat I try to avoid, mono, poly and un are ok for me in very limited amounts. The problem with fat-free products is the same with sugar-free products, people over indulge in them because they see the word "free" but really it simply means somethings been traded one calorie for another so to speak.

dahbeedo 5 years 32 weeks

Fat free 'products' are gross and filled with stuff that is much worse for you than a little fat. Even with dairy, it is much better to go with LIGHT products or even full fat but use less or don't eat a full serving. There are many nutrients and vitamins (omega 3's and E especially) that you don't get if you cut out too much fat. Yeah, it takes a little discipline, but once you start the healthy habits, you'll wonder why you ever did anything different.

AucuneRancune 5 years 32 weeks

I stay away from over-processed food altogether... like instant chocolate fudge Jello-O... something about those products - aside from being fat free - just doesn't sit right with me.

Giasbash6260 5 years 32 weeks

So I dont eat anything that comes out of a box...I only eat natural fats: ie: from lean cuts of meat and fish! I think everyone should try and steer clear of PACKAGED foods and focus on more natural foods, like grass-fed beef, grass-fed bison, fish, flax seeds, hemp seeds, etc...

kcboyer 5 years 32 weeks

The only reason I go full fat or no fat is for taste. Not for the nutritional factor.

allisonblue 5 years 32 weeks

I agree with everyone who has pointed out that low-fat/non-fat often equals heavily processed and full of chemicals. Most of my fat comes from full-fat organic yogurt, nuts, olive oil, etc. I really fail to see how something like a pistachio could be worse for me in the long run than non-fat Cool Whip (which, for all intents and purposes, is plastic). The NYTimes has an article on diet and fat today, too: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html

suzanne 5 years 32 weeks

I go fat free for many products, but you have to have some good fats for healthy metabolism and to tell your brain that you've eaten. I go as low fat as I can and still retain taste and texture. I rely on the "can't avoid 'em" fats to supply the ones I need... :)

kiddylnd 5 years 32 weeks

I don't really eat much that is processed anyhow, but when I want to splurge or have a really big craving for something, I'm more likely to choose the lower fat or fat free option so that my splurge doesn't hurt my diet too much. Like getting the Lite Frapp instead of the full fat with whip! When you mostly eat veggies and the occasional piece of meat though, you don't have to worry about fat free.

Soniabonya 5 years 32 weeks

Fat free milk and yogurt, that's about it. I like my good fats :)

nancita 5 years 32 weeks

I'm with you Fit. I used to eat fat-free stuff all the time, then I realized that "fat-free" doesn't really mean healthy. I do, however, always choose non-fat milk and low-fat cheese slices. More so, though, I just try to eat and cook healthily.

SummerBaby 5 years 32 weeks

i usualy get low fat dairy products.. never fat free.. but if i know im going to be eating alot of it.. i try and get low fat.. tastes exactly the same! :)

cubadog 5 years 32 weeks

I use low fat before fat free. With all the chemicals the fat free tends to taste horrible. A little fat doesn't hurt as long as it is healthy fat.

fleur85 5 years 32 weeks

I try not to eat any processed foods, and "fat-free" foods almost always contain a laundry list of unpronounceable chemicals. I'd much rather eat something with a bit of natural fat, like olive oil, in it than a fat-free product chock full of aspartame and chemicals.

Dana18 5 years 32 weeks

Most fat free products have to mush suger and are not has healthy as most people think.

LoneWolf 5 years 32 weeks

Emily said exactly what I was going to type.

hollywoodholiday 5 years 32 weeks

Actually, fat does help you feel full longer. It has more calories per gram than carbs or protein. I generally only cut fat in dairy as I don't really eat a lot of others things high in fat content. but i'm with you emilyplayscello, i like eating foods with unsaturated fats. :)

Lovely_1 5 years 32 weeks

Hmmm I usualyl buy low-fat yougurt. I mean if I'm in a grocery store and see the regular product with the fat-free one beside it, I will probably buy the fat -free one. But I don't go OUT OF MY WAY to buy fat-free. It isn't a priority in my life.

n_i_k 5 years 32 weeks

I really lost alot of weight on a low fat diet. I switched to the low fat products & they taste great. I am on a different diet now & I do not buy them anymore.

tiff58 5 years 32 weeks

I basically agree with everything that Emily said. I do buy skim milk, but that's about it. Unless I'm baking, I almost always use olive oil rather than butter, and otherwise try to stick to other healthy fats. If full fat food were so awful, Europeans would not be so much thinner than Americans. In general, I try to eat healthy, natural foods and be active.

graldi19 5 years 32 weeks

i almost always choose fat free as long as the calorie content is low as well

graldi19 5 years 32 weeks

i almost always choose fat free as long as the calorie content is low as well

georgie 5 years 32 weeks

All the stuff I read out there seems to suggest that fat-free is worse than the full fat stuff, I don't think it's worth the effort. If the regular version is too fatty, then don't eat or drink it at all! Except coffee and skim milk... no sugar (or equal or whatever).

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29 Comments

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