Low-Fat Food Makes You Fat
Sure, low-fat foods may be good for your heart, but not necessarily for your waistline. In fact, low-fat foods often fool you into gaining weight, says Cornell University researcher Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
Most people think that low-fat foods have about 40% fewer calories than regular ones. Not true. It’s more like 10% to 30%, Wansink says. When fat is removed, food companies often add high-caloric sweeteners, such as corn syrup, for flavor, which run up the calories.
Wansink’s research also shows that we eat more of a food we think is low-fat. In one test, he gave moviegoers bags of granola that were labeled either low-fat or regular Rocky Mountain granola. Actually, all of the bags were low-fat. People who received the bags labeled low-fat ate 49% more.
Most harmed by low-fat claims? The overweight. A group of overweight people given chocolate ate 46% more (89 extra calories) when it was labeled low-fat vs. regular. People who weren’t overweight ate only 16% more. In general, Wansink says, obese people underestimate calories by 30% to 40%.
Bottom line: Compare labels.
For more information, check out Wansink’s book, “Mindless Eating” (Bantam Books, $25)
This EatSmart column is reprinted from USAWEEKEND Magazine and is copyrighted by Jean Carper. It cannot be reprinted without permission from Jean Carper.
