Here’s the whole truth about low-fat foods, so ditch that zero-fat salad dressing now

If you have been buying low-fat foods from the supermarket to lose weight, then know that these options are actually bad for you.
salad dressing
There are many healthy salad dressings that can be made at home! Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Munmun Ganeriwal Published: 27 Feb 2020, 16:49 pm IST
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Whenever you visit a supermarket or grocery store, you often see foods which are labelled as low fat or zero fat. For example: low-fat butters, low-fat yogurt, zero-fat salad dressing, low-fat breakfast cereals, and so on.

In fact, in a seminar I attended recently one of the speakers jokingly said that these days you get everything low in fat, except for human beings. So, the question is…

Are low-fat foods really worth it?
The truth is that the foods which are labelled as low fat and zero fat contain high sugar and trans fats, and also have the same number of calories as the original product. Want to know how?

Also, read: That low-carb or low-fat diet won’t help you live longer. The quality of the food you eat will

Blame hydrogenated oils: The first thing is that since saturated fat is often blamed to cause heart diseases, food manufacturers work at replacing it. And the only way they can do this is by replacing the solid saturated fat with solid or semi-solid unsaturated fats called hydrogenated oils. Unfortunately, these hydrogenated oils are a huge source of trans fats which are found to be extremely harmful to heart health

They have high sugar: In order to maintain the taste and texture which has been ripped off with fats, manufacturers need to increase the amount of sugar. This refined sugar leads to spikes in blood sugar levels. It also increases your cravings making you eat more than you normally would have. 

low-fat foods
Excess of everything is bad. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Fats are important–so don’t skip them!
When I say fats I mean full fats like desi ghee, full-fat butter, and so on. Because adding fats to your meals will lower down the glycemic index (GI) of the meal. This will enhance your insulin sensitivity, bringing hormonal balance to your body–also reducing your cravings and reducing the fats in your body.

So, make sure you include full fats in each of your meals. Recent research also shows that saturated fat is no longer related to or linked to heart diseases. On the contrary, trans fatty acids which are found in low-fat foods are extremely harmful to your heart health and body. Now that you know, make the right choice.

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About the Author

Munmun is a Mumbai-based nutritionist, certified yoga and fitness expert. She is also the founder of Yuktahaar–a holistic diet, exercise and lifestyle intervention program.  ...Read More

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