5 Low-fat foods that are actually bad for you
Many people associate the term “low-fat” with health or healthy foods. However, processed low-fat foods often contain a lot of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients.
Low-fat sweetened breakfast cereal
Low-fat, sweetened breakfast cereals are often high in sugar. What’s more, it’s not just white table sugar that you should worry about. White sugar, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and honey all contain fructose. Excess amounts of fructose have been linked to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and other health problems.
Low-fat spreads
Low-fat spreads such as margarine aren’t a clever choice. Even though they have less fat than original spreads such as butter, they still contain highly processed vegetable oils that can be harmful to health. What’s more, some of the light spreads specifically marketed as being “heart-healthy” actually contain small amounts of trans fats, which have been linked to inflammation, heart disease and obesity.It’s actually much healthier to use modest amounts of butter rather than processed low-fat spreads.
Low-fat flavoured yogurt
Yogurt has a long-standing reputation as a healthy food. Studies show that plain yogurt may help with weight loss and improve body composition, in part by increasing levels of the fullness hormones GLP-1 and PYY. However, low-fat, sugar-sweetened yogurt contains too much sugar to qualify as a nutritious choice. Plain yogurt made from whole milk is healthy, but sweetened low-fat and non-fat yogurt can be as high in sugar as desserts.
Low-fat salad dressing
Salad dressing enhances the flavour of raw vegetables and may improve a salad’s nutritional value. Traditional salad dressings made with olive oil are high in healthy fats, which helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. In addition, fat helps you absorb antioxidants from foods such as leafy greens, carrots and tomatoes. In contrast, low-fat and fat-free salad dressings don’t contribute any health benefits to your meal. Most of them also contain sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and preservatives.
Low-fat flavoured coffee drinks
Coffee is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink. It contains antioxidants that protect heart health and is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Coffee also contains caffeine, which can improve mental and physical performance while increasing metabolic rate. On the other hand, the high sugar content of flavoured low-fat coffee drinks can negatively affect health. Adding sugar to coffee transforms a healthy beverage into one that may lead to weight gain and disease.
Source: Authority Nutrition
