Are “low fat” options a better choice? Not necessarily.
First of all, if a product claims it is low fat, all that really means is that it has to be at least 25% lower fat than the original. And to make sure the ‘lack of fat’ does not make whatever you are eating taste too ‘healthy’, you will usually find a much higher sugar or salt content in it, trying to disguised itself as being good for you under that ‘low fat’ label.
I picked a regular vs. low fat blueberry muffin found at Starbucks for a ‘real life’ example. While the regular blueberry muffin has 20 g of fat and 28 g of sugar, the lower fat option has 5 g of fat and a whopping 45 g of sugar. Even though it does have less fat, eating such a high amount of sugar (without a healthy amount of protein) will spike your blood sugar and create more fat in your body. Weight aside, eating large amounts of sugar is never a good idea in regards to your health.
Don’t get me wrong, some lower fat options are in fact healthier, just be sure to check the ingredients so that you are not unknowingly consuming high amounts of sugar or sodium that will mess up your good intentions.
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