Info about Food
Low fat foods
Weight is a main concern for a lot of people nowadays and this is understandable if you think of the percent obesity has reaches among countries all over the world. Nevertheless, this is greater in the Western countries and especially in the United States. As a result, an entire industry of gods specially designed for those concerned about their weight has been created.
A big branch of these industries is represented by the foods with a low content of fat. From all low fat kinds of meat to low fat ice cream, you can find anything you want. Choosing a low fat product instead of a normal one can save some calories every day. On a long term basis, this may mean some fewer pounds. Most likely, you will find a low fat replacement for almost every desire product.
However, there are some hidden dangers when it comes to low fat products. Low fat does not necessarily mean fewer calories. In many cases, the content of fat has been replaced with some extra sugar. The purpose of this strategy is to keep the food as tasty as possible. Fat gives the food part of its aroma and when it is removed, it does not taste as good as the original product. To keep the customers loyal, manufactures try to make low fat foods taste just as good as the original products.
So, what you have to do when you want to buy low fat foods is to check the label carefully. Do not look just at the values for fat which will probably be the largest displayed, but also check out the figures fro sugar. Also, be careful because there can be more types of hidden sugars such as maltose or corn syrup. Finally check out the calorie list and see what the difference really is. You may be surprised that a low fat product only has about 20 less calories per 100g.
In addiction, studies conducted have shown that people have the tendency to eat more when they find themselves in front of a low fat product. A possible explanation for this may be that they feel less guilty and tend to eat more. The survey has shown that normal people eat with 28%, while obese people eat with about 40% percent more. Even if you take into account the calories saved, it is still more than what they eat of a regular product.
Nevertheless, there are some products where the quantity of fat really matters. The best examples are natural yogurts. There the name low fat really means low calorie. A yogurt with 4 percent fat may have around 70 calories per 100g, while a low fat one 0.1% will only have about 30 calories per 100g. The calories saved are more than half of the first product. Anyway, be careful! If there are some fruits added, we talk again about sugar and the low fat yogurt will just be similar to the regular one.
Low fat products are great when they really help you reduce your daily intake. Make sure you do not overeat them and some pounds may disappear!