When You Should Avoid Low Fat Foods

Do you look for the label that says "low fat" when you shop for snack items at the grocery store? Like many Americans, you believe that low fat foods can help you loose those last stubborn pounds. Unfortunately, this may not be the case according to new research. Theres some thought that it may be best to avoid low fat foods if you want to promote weight loss. Why might this be?

There is the perception that low fat foods are significantly lower in calories than their full fat counterparts. In reality, low fat foods average only around 10-15 percent lower in calories which is not a significant caloric savings. In addition, its been shown that people who eat low fat foods and snacks actually end up eating more than if they had eaten the full fat version, thus compensating for the small difference in calories.

A study carried out at Cornell University showed that people ate more M & Ms from a container marked low fat than they did from one that was marked as regular M & Ms. It seems most people feel entitled to eat more when they believe theyre eating low fat which usually more than compensates for the small calorie savings. The decision to avoid low fat foods may be a wise one if youre not capable of controlling portion sizes.

Another reason to avoid low fat foods is the sugar content. To compensate for the lack of taste and texture of low fat foods, manufacturers frequently add larger amounts of sugar which can have an adverse effect on insulin levels and potentially promoting fat storage of fat. Certainly if youre practicing a low carb or good carb diet, youll want to avoid low fat foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates.

Does this mean you should avoid low fat foods entirely? Not necessarily. It simply means when you do consume low fat foods, you use the same attention to portion sizes as you do when you eat full fat foods. You should also avoid low fat foods that have added sugar and high carb contents by carefully reading the label on all products you buy. Some substitutions that might be easily made include using low fat cream cheese, low fat sour cream, low fat mayonnaise, and low fat milk in place of their full fat counterparts. These products usually dont have excessively high carb counts which might offset your attempts to lose weight.

It may not be necessary to avoid low fat foods entirely, but make your selections carefully in order to keep you diet and weight loss plan on track.