“Fat free”, “light” or “low fat” are marketing terms made to sell more products, just like “fat free”. We are aware of the ingredients that we consume, and fat is seen as bad. This is, however, incorrect, you need fat as part of your diet. It is one of the 3 essential macro nutrients.
Here are five reasons why the fat-free option is not the best choice:
1) When fat is removed, other nasty ingredients are put in
To “make up” for the removed fat, manufacturers will put other items in the product to try to ensure a good taste. The product will then end up being full f chemicals and flavour enhancers and sugar, thereby making the product even less natural than it originally way. A way to know is to look at the nutrition label. As a rule: if you cannot pronounce the word or it’s something you are not familiar with, don’t eat it.
2) Don’t rely on comparisons
When an item says “10% less fat than normal products”, you don’t know what the benchmark is, and manufacturers often use their own products as benchmarks. This means that this item could still have a high fat content, just less than the original product. Under EU rules the word light can only be used where the fat has been reduced by at least 30%.
3) Low fat diets are not there to help you lose weight.
Insulin is the hormone in your body that dictated how much fat your body stores. Insulin breaks down all carbohydrates that we consume and stores what we don’t need for energy and the muscular system , in the liver. These sugars are converted to glycogen and stored in the liver as reserves. Unfortunately, When calories are consumed in excess the reserves aren’t needed, a build up of excess sugar in the blood stream along with weight increases and this is where we become susceptible to type 2 diabetes , hypertension and high cholesterol .This is also known as metabolic syndrome with a combination of all 3 or with obesity. Sugars and white carbohydrates are not the culprits , however consumed in excess with a lack of exercise will cause weight gain. Avoiding fat doesn’t aid in you in losing weight. Moreover, a reduction of calories and increase in physical activity will and macro nutrients such as protein ,fat and carbohydrates consumed in moderation and not in excess will encourage the body to maintain a healthy weight and insure a good balance of absorption of micro nutrients.
4) Fat is satisfying
Fat and protein are two ingredients that help you feel fuller for a longer span of time, rather than carbohydrates. If you feel more satisfied you will be less inclined to snack or over eat.
5) The body needs “good” fats
“Good” fats, such as omega 3, 6 and 9 fats, are vital fats and are important for your body. Our bodies cannot make these fats to sustain itself. Primary food sources for these good fats include oily fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil and seeds, to name a few. These dietary fats absorb vitamin D. With no dietary fats in the diet it is very hard to utilise vitamin D. However, this should not be mistaken for having large amounts of body fat. On the contrary with large amounts of body fat otherwise known as obesity, Vitamin D gets trapped adipose cells (fat cells) and is unable to be utilised. Therefore, obese individuals are at higher risk of being vitamin D and calcium deficient. Omega fatty acids balanced in the right ratios contributes to healthy cholesterol.
So, remember to always read your nutrition label and ingredient list to figure this out for yourself, or contact me for a healthy diet plan if you want to lose weight or improve health.
