Thursday, 07 January 2010

  • Diet, Light, Fat Free... Which One Do I Pick!?

    Diet, Light, Fat Free... Which One Do I Pick!?
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    I was out shopping with my friend the other day, and we're both trying to eat healthier this year. In our attempt to be healthy, we were picking out healthier versions of all of oru favorite foods - and luckily, many foods these days come in pre-portioned packages or in a baked/low sodium version.

    However, when it came to salad dressings, sodas and other drinks, we were stumped.

    Hidden Valley salad dressing comes in both light and fat free. Same with Kraft, and Ken's dressings.

    Coke has several varieties as well: Diet, Caffeine Free, Diet AND Caffeine Free, Coke Zero, Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda... not to mention the flavored kinds as well!

    While it may just be easier to cut out dressings and sodas all together, I know that we both appreciate being able to eat what we want - just through a healthier view.

    So what's the verdict?

    In the diet vs. light vs. fat free debate, which is healthier, and why?

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Comments (47)

  • Shinbi_Belldandy@xanga

    I go for light because it still has some flavor & wont use artificial flavorings that arent good for you. I HATE fake sugar so I drink regular soda but I like light juices. Fat Free (or non fat) frozen yogurt is yummy!!! Bluebell makes the best one so far. 
  • lilys_and_ashes@xanga

    I love the light chips the used to be called wow chips.
  • Imnotcrazyjustinsane@xanga

    I heard fat free isn't good for you?
    I really don't know.

    For dressing, I just opt for italian or vinaigrette. The vinegar based ones are better for you.
  • arenfro@xanga

    Soda isn't ever going to be good for you, but diet soda is certainly better for you.  Artificial sweeteners are not going to kill you unless you drink a cube of Diet Dew in one day, every day, for the rest of your life.

    In my experience, "light" usually tastes better and means less calories than regular, whereas "fat-free" usually means a food still has calories, though sometimes it has more or less than "light".  Looking at the back of the label will tell you for certain.  For example, light cream cheese tastes pretty good, and has less calories than regular.  Fat-free cream cheese, in most cases, actually has less calories than light (though this isn't always the case), but often tastes sorta gross or is hard to use in cooking.

    I suggest looking at the backs of labels.  If you're just calorie counting, you can tell the difference between them.  Remember that you need some fat in your diet, so perhaps "light" is a good way to go.  The only thing that you really should avoid is to buy "lower-fat" peanut butter.  It's generally only 20 calories less, and has more sugar in it.  It also gets rid of all the good fats that peanut butter has.
  • whitetrashpoet@xanga

    I've always been told "fat-free" is bad, because often times when fat is removed, the product doesn't taste very good, so they add excess sugar, sweeteners, or other various bad artificial products to mask the taste. I'd go for "light" whenever possible. I drink diet soda simply because I like the taste, but I suppose if you can find any soda made with actual sugar rather than corn syrup or aspartame, that may be better for you.
    But, not a nutritionist, so I can't say for sure.
  • zmzm9292

    http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/splash_border2.php?hop=zmzm92
  • Erika_Steele@xanga

    I don't do any of them.  If there is no choice I go for the light.
  • DeadXTendencies@xanga

    Always look for all natural products. Everything in moderation =)
  • soyeahthatswhathappened@xanga

    how about none, just read the ingredients.
  • oroiko@xanga

    Just read the ingredients more carefully and do some research.  Try a light product and a fat free product to determine which one you prefer.
  • dianchik_icons@xanga

    Want to be healthy? Don't eat salad dressing or drink coke....


    And the regular is better because fat free, light and diet is just a way to get you to buy things.
  • crystaldurden@xanga

    All you have to do is look at the nutritional facts on the product. Which has more calories/grams of fat/carbohydrates/sugar? And what are you trying to cut out of your diet?


    Sugar free is usually a no-no because artificial sweeteners actually make you crave more sugar.

  • Alatariel40@xanga

    "Healthy" means eating real food, not chemicals. The treats you mentioned should be consumed in moderation, if at all. Why are you asking a bunch of strangers for nutritional advise? We all have different perspectives, and some of the advice is going to be just plain wrong.

    Do what you want. I'd go for taste.
  • adept_of_chaos@xanga

    Diet, light, and fat free things are horrible for you.  Example: check the ingredients of sour cream, then check the much longer ingredient list of the fat free version (same with mayo and dressings).  It's better to enjoy the food you like in moderation instead of trying to cheat w/"fat free" products that are usually loaded with hidden sugars or salts. 

    For dressing: The best thing to do is to get some extra virgin olive oil and a good vinegar and learn to make your own.  But if you must have ranch, get the powdered seasoning packet and mix it up yourself (you can make "buttermilk" with 1 cup of skim milk and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, the vinegar curdles the milk).

    For soda: Drink soda only once and a while.  Drink un-sweet, or lightly sweetened tea for your normal drinks.  Tea comes in just as many flavors as soda, has antioxidants, and is naturally calorie and fat free. 

    Basically to eat healthier you need to start adding whole, real foods into your diet.  Get use to snacking on yogurt, nuts, or whole fruits and vegetables when you need a snack.  Swap you white, refined carbs, breads, rice, ect, with whole grains, wheat flour, brown rice, new grains you might not have tried like quinoa or cous-cous. 

    I wouldn't do this all in one day.  Start by switching one thing at a time (sweet potatoes fries instead of regular french fries, tea instead of coke, then go with brown rice, ect).  After awhile you'll like that food better and thingk white bread tastes like glue.  Because it does. 

  • adept_of_chaos@xanga

    You can watch this to see why low fat food with hidden sugar is bad (or do your own research,you'll come up with the same conclusion.)
  • melyssalynn@xanga

    i would cut back on sodas but i dont drink soda anyways. dont know much about salad dressings either because i just eat what tastes better with the salad. hahaha.


    healthy eating is good but its BETTER if paired with adequate exercise as well.
  • MissPixieGlitter@xanga

    don't look at the claim, look at the nutrition facts. i think that would most accurately tell you which products are better.
  • P0RCELA1N_D0LL@xanga

    I'm not sure which is healthier. I like the baked light potato chipsI also like the 100 calorie cookie snack packs.
  • iiinfinitesimal@xanga

    NONE OF THE ABOVE. 'light' 'fat free' and all those labels basically mean that they take away 'calories' and replace them with chemicals - which is worse for your body.


    read the book 'in defense of food' by michael pollan. it's pretty short and REALLY real-life applicable.
  • iiinfinitesimal@xanga

    @adept_of_chaos@xanga - amen
  • snowandstarstone@xanga

    Those labels are another way of saying "this food is either sugar laden or comes from a lab" so try to avoid them. Fake sugars have a long history of being found to cause cancer, and fake fats aren't much better. If my food is going to be rubbish either way, I'd at least like it to be tasty rubbish.

    @lilys_and_ashes@xanga - They still make them, they just changed the name. Apparently they don't want people to associate their low fat stuff with lawsuits anymore.
  • Femme003@xanga

    I prefer things in moderation when I can.  And I choose light over fat-free usually, because I know how they reinvent the product with replacements in fat-free....read the labels.  I prefer fat-free dairy though...as I really do not like the consistency/taste of 'fat' in my dairy (e.g. milk). 
  • ah_chris_tal@xanga

    i stay away from foods marked diet, light, or low fat cuz i've read they even though there are less calories, there could be waaaay more chemicals going into your body that are going to cause more damage than if you consumed the "regular" version. just check the ingredients on the back of the product, and compare the "regular" ones from a diet version...if you're strictly looking at how many calories you're intaking and not really concerned about all the chemicals that are going into your body then go for the diet/light/or low fat versions, but if you're striving to be "naturally healthy" without all the chemicals then i would say that the regular ones are the better choice.


    i personally choose to have things in moderation, and balance it out with exercise too :)
  • anonymous

    Hello
    Its good to know your attempt to be healthy.I also try to eat healthy food and I control myself for junk food.Hey I did not know before about all these varieties of coke.I only know about diet free coke.According to me vegetables and fruits are more healthier food than others.
  • xchinkylaydee@xanga

    I saw on tv that they said people who drink diet soda actually weigh more than people who drink the original.

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