Losing weight and looking slim is the new trend amongst people of all ages, and all over the world. Since fats are believed to increase weight, low fat or fat free food is much in demand. You go to any supermarket and you will find shelves and shelves devoted to low fat food such fat free biscuits, fat free chocolates or low fat desserts and so on. It is generally believed that by consuming such fat free food, weight can be controlled how much ever they consume such food. The reality is far from it.
Understanding fat free foods
The popularity of fat free foods can also be because of the health hazards posed by intake of too much fats leading to cholesterol problems and so on. Since it is true that too much of saturated fats is harmful for health, cutting down on fat intake does make sense. Food companies too advantage of this fact and what they have started doing is that they replace animal fats with unsaturated vegetable oils. As vegetable oils, as it is, could not be a good replacement for animal fats, the manufacturers made these oils go through processes which changed their molecular structure. This process is what is known as processing of foods.
Shocking Truth About Fat Free Foods
But the truth is that such foods have only increased harm as they increases very harmful trans-fats in the body which is not a great option for hearts.
Unfortunately, we now know these hydrogenated fats increase levels of dangerous trans-fats which are both bad for the heart and our cholesterol. Although trans-fats can be found at low levels in some natural foods these man-made versions meant it was likely we were eating more of them. Since learning of the dangers of trans-fats the food industry and our UK supermarkets have been working hard to reduce levels of them in their products.
Apart from these, many of these fat free foods contain extra sugar and other ingredients which are added to increase the taste of the product. Thus at the end of the day, most of these fat free food contains a high amount of calories, sometimes the count is similar to the original or even higher.
Health hazards
Most of these fat free foods contain refined sugars or refined carbohydrates, which are very harmful to health. It is a common notion that such fat free foods are devoid of any calories and that hence can be consumed as much as one wants. It is not at all true. First, most of such foods are processed and they come with their own harm, second, they all contain a good number of calories. So, at the end of the day, such fat free foods are only giving a myth about reducing calorie count but that is not the case in most of the products.
Fats – the real story
It is a false conception that our body should be devoid of fat altogether. Our body needs fats, and the best way to get it is from natural foods such as fish, nuts, seeds and more. Since fats help in the absorption of vitamins, if your body is low in fats, it will depict on your health. So the motto should not be fat free foods but healthy food which contains all constituents in a right proportion.
