Fat-free is a weight loss trap.

Many folks out there believe that fat-free is the key to health and weight loss. The problem is that fat-free does not mean calorie-free. Calories reduction the ket to weight loss and when you falsely delude yourself into thinking that your choices are healthy because you to eliminate the “healthy fats”, you creating a false sense of security.

Fat in food helps make it flavorful, pleasurable to eat, and satisfying. Fat quite simply promotes fullness and satiety. Going fat-free with many foods could lead you to eat more if it is lacking taste and satisfaction. This reuction in fat can result in less of the flavor that most of us enjoy.

It helps to know what fat free means:

• “Fat-free” foods must have less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving.
• “Low-fat” foods must have 3 grams of fat or less per serving.
• “Reduced-fat” foods must have at least 25% less fat than regular versions of those foods.
• “Light” foods must have either 1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat.

To put it simply, fat-free food is making us fatter. It is a clever advertising gimmick and a lack of nutritional knowledge has led the public to believe that by taking the fat out of a product it will be healthier for you. Nothing could be further from the truth because when you pull something out of processed foods, you have to put something back to replace it.  J

The low-fat foods often remove the taste of fat that creates satiety. When fat is taken out of food it is often replaced with sugar or other forms of carbohydrate that keep the calories high and the boost in insulin promotes hunger. Often, the sugar content is added to higher levels to improve the taste lost by removing fat so that you end with about the same level of calories as the regular version of the food.

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by eating a little less and moving around more.  Often with fat-free foods, people eat more and the food is less filling. This really defeats the purpose of removing the fat to create a calorie deficit. You may be training healthy fats for empty calories from sugar.

The bottom line: Beware of “fat-free” foods as you could be trading fats for huge amounts of sugar or sodium. Some fat is healthy for us. Choose the right fats by adding nuts, seeds, nut butter, avocados, and vegetable oils to your diet.