I've always wondered this and it goes back and forth with difft ppl, they are better, they aren't better, to even, they are worse than the originals. So I was wondering what all of your opinions were on the subject.

Okay, well I think there are a couple of sides to this. Firstly, I think a lot of the reason some people say LF/FF foods are worse for you than the originals, is that some people figure, "Okay this is FF, so I can have more of it!" and then overeat with these items. I believe there was a study on this topic recently.

Also, there are sometimes questionable ingredients in some of these products... I don't know a lot about this personally.

Some products that claim to be FF are not really FF... one example of this is fat-free butter spray.. YES it is FF if you only use 3 or 5 sprays or something like that, but honestly who only uses 3 squirts of butter spray? If you use 20 sprays (which is how much I use on two slices of toast when I use butter spray-- rarely) it has 20 calories and 2 grams of fat. Companies are allowed to round down on certain nutrition information.

I think you bring up a very good question...and one that will probably get a very different answer from everyone.

I count calories so I appreciate when something comes in a lighter version, for example skim milk or light sour cream. But at the same time, I do believe that lighter versions often have additives and unnatural ingredients that take away their health factor. I'm not a fan of packaged food stuff that's made light, i.e. reduced-fat Ritz crackers, Snackwells, butter substitutes, etc. The originals of those products don't have many health benefits, so I don't expect their lighter substitutes to offer much in the way of nutrition either!...I guess my point is that it's nice to have low-fat and light versions for some occassions, but they shouldn't be a big part of a healthy diet.

Oh yeah...and the one that really gets me - those Snickers energy bars. Why not just get it over with and have the real thing?!?!

i think its ok...with certain things. I don't think alot of those "fat substitutes" are good for you...however the lower calories foods are not necessarily bad for you. You need to watch what you eat though. You cant sit down and eat a box of low fat cookies and not expected to gain some weight. So in moderation is fine. I do worry about the olestra and stuff like that...i avoid that. But baked chips or low fat cookies are good to help the craving without being too bad

Some of the lower fat versions, especially with snack foods, actually have more sugar content and are no better for you. Compare the labels.

I think the processed ones can be helpful, but not always the best choices. I buy baked rice snacks, and things like that. However, taking your favourite recipes and finding a way to make them more healthy - that's the better option. If I can find a decent lower-cal homemade snack type food... well, I keep looking.

Well not necessarily... most have added sugar in them that more than voids the lower cals or fat. I used to buy the light versions of cookies, diet stuff you know, and they didn't do me one bit of good.

Advice? Have you ever heard of guiltless gourmet? Oh boy oh boy they have some good eatins'. Like their bananas foster cake yummmo! I get those and allow myself one per week for each week I stay on plan - my reward. And man they are a reward and a half; much better than some 1000 cal dessert right. You feel like you're getting a reward, but it's still good for you! Go figure!

Me personally, I don't buy any of the diet foods, like the cookies, or crackers, etc. If I'm hungry, I have a protein shake, or fresh fruit, or yogurt (the whipped chocolate yogurt - put it in the freezer and then eat topped with fresh sliced strawberries wow so delish!) - you get the drill. I just couldn't control myself with those things, so I put myself in diet boot camp LOL; I took a big hefty trash bag and went through my kitchen and tossed everything that wasn't totally awesome for my plan. We all have our own solutions and what works for us, but with me my problem was overeating, so my logic was, if I don't have anything in the house I can gain weight from, I can eat a little more in quantity and not gain weight from a slip up. You'd be surprised by how creative you can get with sweets if your rule is not to bring any of that stuff in the house. Another idea? Okay....get some fresh pears, cut in half and seed them. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little honey and sprinkle on some ginger and cinnamon, and bake at 250 til soft. Dollop some fat free whipped topping, and you're in heaven. I also grill bananas in the skin on my George Foreman grill til the banana is soft inside; peel it, and put it over some fat free frozen yogurt, and drizzle some sugar free chocolate syrup on top. So good. Hope this helps!!!!

PS - here is a link for you on Guiltless Gourmet - it's usually in the organic food aisle of your Kroger Signature:

http://www.guiltlessgourmet.com/prod...erts/index.php

I generally do not use fat-free foods, but I do use some low-fat foods when on my weight loss plan because fat has SO many calories!

So, for example, I'll use Newman's Light Balsamic dressing, and 1% milk, and 2% cottage cheese, and lowfat string cheese. But sometimes I'll still have a full-fat salad dressing--but only 1 TBS on a whole salad. It turns out that it's not necessary to drench a salad in dressing to have it taste good.

I never thought that foods like Snackwells were a good idea... I feel that I'm better off restricting carbs than trying to go too low on fats.

Jay

Lowfat and fat free dairy products are better for you...almost all of them are simple removal of fat.

Virtually all other lowfat , light, fat-free foods have replaced some of the fat with sugar and or chemicals. In general they are not better for you and may be worse for you. Many people feel much less satisfied as the lack of satiating fat is no longer there and the high GI corn syrup they replaced it with is.

Most of them I wouldnt touch with a 40 ft pole

I do try to find lower calories versions of stuff whenever possible. I figure whatever doubtful ingredients in there are offset by the dangers that I know weighing an extra 120 than I should carries.

But of course, this isn't a free ticket to eat all of those items I want. They still have calories, and they still count. Also, as said above, some sugarfree or fatfree stuff really isn't that much lower than conventional versions, if at all. Read lables, and use portion control whatever product you select.

Are Light and Fat Free Foods really better for you?

If they are heavily processed and full of additives, I don't think so.

I agree with a lot of the previous poster - it really depends on the food item. For example, I think skim milk is a better alternative to whole milk for me. I don't think 100 calorie snack packs are good for me at all.

I lost weight with a combination of whole foods and calorie counting so I really try to eat as many whole foods as possible and avoid as much processed foods as possible. I would much rather make my own salad dressing with walnut oil and measure out 2 tbs than buy pre-made lite salad dressing (although I often do, due to time constraints).

I would much rather have a small portion of really good dark chocolate than eat a Snackwell! I find "real" foods more deeply satisfying. In the past when I dieted eating a lot of "fakey" foods, I was restlessly hungry and bingy all the time.

But a lot of light and fat-free foods are just less caloric or fat-free versions of manufactured and unhealthy products. Someone used the example of Ritz crackers upthread-- these are not a particularly healthy, chemical-free, natural food in their full fat full calorie version, either.

Exactly! Those are unhealthy too.

Naturally light and fat free products are excellent choices, in my opinion, such as blueberries and pineapple.

Many naturally heavy and fat laden foods are excellent choices too (used wisely as part of a healthy, balanced way of eating) such as avocado and extra virgin coconut oil.