Are Low Fat Foods Healthy is another great post from Carl Mason. Thanks sharing consistently good content with Everyday Gyaan readers, Carl.
Do you fill your shopping cart with low fat salad dressings, mayonnaise, yogurt, milk, cottage cheese and more believing that you are making healthy choices? Are low fat foods healthy, really?Many think they are, after all, “they” say they are! I have some bad news for you. You have been lied to and you are not alone! Millions of people have been trained to accept the lies that low fat means low calorie, that it help strip away that fat on your hips, thigh, butt or abs, that it is good for your health.
These low fat promises are clever. Consumers do not want to be FAT. Easy sales solution, remove the fat from their food; not a hard sale at all. It is simple supply and demand. The demand is for thinner waist lines and the supply is low fat options to familiar food. Sales pour in and profits mount up. All the while, the truths about the desperately poor nutritional value of these products go unmentioned, overlooked, forgotten in the ad campaigns not to mention that the consumer never achieves a lifestyle change.
It all adds up to a marketing scam, a ploy for high profits without authentic consideration for consumer wellness.
This crime against the consumer, as I believe it to be, is another topic. Today, my mission is a simple…to answer that question, “Are low fat foods healthy?” with an explanation of why low fat foods are in fact poor nutritional choices. And in that desire, I have compiled 3 reasons why you should NOT consume low fat foods. They are:
1. Fats help you to digest carbohydrates properly.
Carbohydrates consumed alone digest too quickly, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar and consequently a gain in weight. When combined with fat, however, the process of digestion slows down keeping blood sugar levels in check and allowing for maximum nutrient absorption.
2. Low fat foods replace the fat with sugar, salt and artificial ingredients.
When you take something away, like fat from yogurt, you have to replace it with something else to give it flavor and substance. That is sugar, salt and a plethora of other synthetic additives not to mention the preservatives. What you end up with is not a food source but a science project.
3. Low fat foods trick you into overeating and gaining weight.
Low fat foods and I use the word FOODS loosely, do not fill or satisfy your body. They leave it wanting more because it is nutritionally deplete. Since these products are perceived as healthy options, you go for another, then another and maybe still another.
The result is then overeating and weight gain empowered by a false perception of good nutrition.
Let’s be real. How many of you have failed to lose weight while eating low fat foods? You can’t figure out what the problem is. The culprit is likely all those low fat foods in your shopping cart. You keep buying them, keep eating them. The stealthy pretenders are undermining your wellness with every bite you take.
The simple truth is fat serves an extremely important purpose in the human body. Depriving your body of fat for the sake of not being fat is to deprive yourself of wellness. It is just that simple.
So next time you go to the grocery store ask and you reach for that low fat yogurt, ask yourself the question: “Are low fat foods healthy?” Then remember this article and do me a favor, leave it on the shelf. Instead opt for the real deal understanding that quality is more important than quantity. You’ll eat less, lose weight, build muscle and empower the body for authentic wellness. You’ll probably even save a few bucks.
~ Carl
So I hear!
Not so, apparently, Sherlin 🙁
Sorry…I meant I have heard they are NOT healthy 🙂
I hope everyone enjoys and benefits from this months article! Read it and apply it in good health! 🙂 YOU deserve it!
I agree completely. Low fat foods are much more salty than normal food and one tends to overeat them.
Very helpful post.
I agree. My mom has always bought reduced fat or fat free foods for our household…and I’ve never been able to talk her out of it. The marketing is so clever that it always sounds like a good, healthy idea, doesn’t it? Thanks, Carl.
@annedreshfield @CarlMason-Liebenberg just convinced me too – will have to rethink our choices of low-fat and slim too.
@annedreshfield
Yes, they are clever. Who wants to be fat? Solution “low fat”.Sounds like a plan…but not!
Absolutely wonderful post! I couldn’t have agreed more. Also, calling things low fat encourages people psychologically to eat more of the same thing. If you get an opportunity, read Rujuta Diwekar’s books. She makes so much sense! There are so many food myths that these companies float around to capture the imagination of a desperate generation of weight watchers. Since, nutritional information is now mandatory, I would hope that people would at least browse through that to get to the bottom of what nutrition the product offered instead of the calories.
@Rachna
Great resource you shared. Thank you!
A lovely post highlighting the mistake most of us do when we go grocery shopping. I became a convert and started eating local foods and things that my parents and ancestors have been eating for ages after reading Rujuta Diwekar’s books..Don’t lose your mind, lose your weight. She has written the book keeping in mind Indians but almost everyone can read it and it surely makes a lot of sense.
@Lazy Pineapple
I am so glad to read this response! Way to go!
Interesting, and so true! Good fats are essential. Do read books on the Zone Diet, by Dr. Barry Sears.
@e_pinion
Quality is key! 🙂
I’m actually glad that this is true as the low-fat options usually taste terrible. Blah! Interesting post. For now on I’m eating real mayonaise;)
@floridancing
LOL…well, we can talk about that too! 🙂
This is pretty interesting… We’re always on the lookout for ‘nonfat’ or ‘zero’, in the market. So I guess, it’s back to ‘normal’ foods for us plus exercise…
@MelissaTandoc
Keep it real is my motto!
Great information here! I’ll be sure to skip the low-fat foods from now on and just eat less of the “normal” foods. Thanks, Carl, for posting on Corinne’s page. 🙂
@marthaorlando
You are so welcome! Keep it real and thrive! 🙂
Oh Thank God I never fell for all those attractive low fat things out there. I always thought better to eat less and exercise more rather than restore to such short cuts 😉
Guess I was lucky!!
Wow this was so insightful. I must admit that I have been opting for some low fat food since a few months and I have actually gained tummy fat! Ironic that I am from advertising and fell for this! Thank you Carl for such great insights and thanks Corinne for sharing this with us all! You saved me some fat and money 😉
I had heard this was true but didn’t quite understand the reason. Thanks for explaining it so clearly!
G’day Corrine,
Great piece, good to see you pumping out quality content. Keep it up!
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