Is Fat Free Really Healthy?

As many people have become more aware about what goes in their foods, many manufactures use fancy labels to entice consumers. Labels, like fat free, low-fat, lean, healthy and so on are in big bold letters on many of our favorite products. But considering that when the fat comes out of these products and what goes in, it may not be any healthier for us when compared to the normal version of the product.

Products labeled fat free have no fat in them. Fat adds flavoring to these products. So when it is removed, the remaining product can taste bland or even horrible. To get around this, manufactures add other ingredients like extra salt or sugar or even man-made chemicals. Excessive salt can lead to high blood pressure. Excessive sugar can lead to diabetes. Even though you are not getting fat, you could be increasing your risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases.

You should compare the nutritional labels, which are required by law, between the fat free product and the regular version. What you are looking at is the amount of saturated and trans fats, amount of sodium, amount of cholesterol and amount of sugars. While caloric intake is important, for most of these products there is only a slight difference in the calories. You should also read through the ingredients in both products and determine what chemical additives were added to the fat free product. If you find that there is not much difference between the two products, use the original version instead and follow the serving size on the nutritional label.

The body does need a certain amount of fat in order to properly digest foods. Fat helps the body absorb vitamins, minerals and other helpful properties from fat soluble foods. When you do not consume enough fat, your body is losing out because it is not getting all the nutrition it needs. The body digests the foods without absorbing the vitamins and minerals. The body then passes the digested foods out of the body defeating the purpose of eating healthy. Most vegetables are fat soluble and require fat to be properly digested.