Login or Register

Are All Fat-Free Foods Healthy?

Apr 5, 2011 | By Paula Quinene
Are All Fat-Free Foods Healthy?
Photo Credit nuts. chestnuts. walnuts. hazel nuts image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com

Controlling your intake of fats is essential in managing your weight and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. However, all fats are not equal. Limiting the amount of saturated fat you eat and replacing it with unsaturated fats reduces your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and plaque buildup on the walls of your arteries. Replacing all fats in your diet with processed fat-free foods will in fact increase your chances of developing chronic disease.

Significance

Your cells need a very small amount of saturated fat to perform everyday functions; eat no more than 7 percent of your total daily calories from saturated fat. Unsaturated fats, such as the fat in almonds, olives, walnuts, salmon and mackerel, on the other hand, actually keep your arteries healthy by lowering your bad cholesterol and raising your good cholesterol. Avoiding unsaturated fats increases your risk of high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Added Salt and Sugar

Fat-free foods are loaded with added salt and sugar to enhance the flavor, making up for the lack of fat. Salad dressings, cookies, crackers, soups, cheese products, yogurt and ice-cream are but a few items popularly sold as fat-free. Instead of munching on a bag of fat-free cookies, buy a small pack of four regular cookies once in a while. Measure 1 tbsp. of your salad dressing; this small amount gives plenty of flavor and excellent texture with less added ingredients compared to ¼ cup of the fat-free version. Occasionally having the real deal will add up to fewer calories, reducing the likelihood your will gorge on fat-free, refined carbohydrate foods, gaining weight and increasing your risk of diabetes.

Naturally Fat-Free

Fruits and vegetables, other than coconuts, are practically fat-free. Consumed during the peak of their season, fresh produce have plenty of flavor you do not need added fat to revel in their deliciousness. You also benefit from the myriad of vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables, of which many commercially prepared fat-free goods lack.

Considerations

Diets restricting one class of nutrients are difficult to sustain and are unbalanced. Unless instructed by your registered dietitian, a balanced diet following the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid is much healthier than a diet loaded with fat-free foods. Eat nutrient-rich foods from all food groups. Limiting your intake of full-fat dairy, eggs, beef, chicken and tropical oils will keep your saturated fat levels low. Monitoring your consumption of healthy fats from nuts, avocados, olive oil, flaxseed and fatty fish will keep your total fat intake within normal limits. Your total fat consumption should be between 25 and 35 percent of your total daily calories.

References

Article reviewed by Contributing Writer Last updated on: Apr 5, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries

Member Comments