Low Fat or Full Fat…What’s YOUR Choice?

Have you fallen prey to the low fat foods movement in the last two decades? A report issued in the 1970s advised Americans to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease by consuming less fat. Thus the low fat foods movement began. Do you also feel that all you see around these days are low fat foods? It’s almost like you can’t avoid it when shopping in the supermarket.

What is most concerning to me is the perception that many Americans have regarding these low fat foods. Most people believe low fat foods to be healthy, simply because they contain less fat. This perception couldn’t be farther from the truth. Fat functions in food for flavor, emulsification, browning, and tenderizing. If fat is removed from food, it needs to be replaced with something that will mimic its characteristics. Often fat replacers include increased amounts of sugar, sodium, starches and refined carbohydrates. Therefore, your low fat food is likely less healthy than the full fat version.

This false perception of low fat being synonymous with health also leads people to consume more of that food. This can result in weight gain due to increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and sodium. A recent article in the October 16^th, 2013 Chicago Tribune urged Americans to stop worrying about fat in food. Making healthy food choices should not include only looking at the fat content of food and dismissing the food simply because it contains fat. This method of making foods choices is simply a poor method which may result in the avoidance of foods that may actually be healthy. Dismissing food simply because of its fat content will result in missing out on some very healthy foods.

News flash: not all fat is unhealthy; there are healthy fats such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Foods containing healthy fats include nuts, avocado, vegetable oils, olives, and fish.

What is most important about food is not the fat content, but the type of food. That is fresh wholesome food versus processed and fast foods. Fresh wholesome healthy foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and unprocessed foods. These are the foods you should strive to consume in order to avoid cardiovascular disease as well as other chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cancer.

Do you usually buy a food that is lower in fat even if you don’t enjoy it as much, because you think it’s healthier?