Diets are a pretty cyclical thing, a lot like fashion. A certain style will be popular for a few years, before a new study comes out and someone starts up a new phase of dieting popularity, and the dieting world jumps on the bandwagon. But, inevitably, a study will come out which will again spark interest in the old ways, and so the cycle repeats. Low carb diets were popular in the ‘70s, and have come into style again in recent years. In the ‘90s, low-fat diets were the “best” way to lose weight, and low-fat diets and foods were all the rage. As such, by the mid-to-late ‘90s, “low-fat” and “fat-free” foods had swamped the supermarkets.

Why Low Fat?

Why would low fat diets even be fashionable? It actually is a fairly logical strategy. Of all the sources of calories, fat is the richest and most calorie-dense food source. With 9 calories per gram, fat is more than twice as energy-dense as protein and carbohydrates. It seems reasonable, then, to recommend cutting back on fats to reduce calories. Unfortunately, what sounded good on paper, didn’t quite pan out in practice. What actually happened was that people continued to eat as many, if not more calories, on low-fat diets as they did before restricting calories – remember: fat acts as a satiating food, and helps make us feel full.

“Fat Free”…?

As soon as “low fat”, “fat free”, and “light” became buzz words, the food science industry jumped on the bandwagon, possibly quicker than the consumers. Low fat foods were popular, and the food industry wasn’t about to lose money as consumers turned their noses up at all the tasty, high-fat snacks which had been flooding the market for years. Humans are designed to love fat and sugar (it makes sense, these are the two necessary nutrients for the TCA cycle – the metabolic process which makes energy for our body). It makes perfect sense, then, that the food industry began replacing the fat in their products with sugar. This way, consumers can still eat their favorite foods without violating their low-fat diets, and companies aren’t losing money thanks to fad diets. It seemed like a win-win scenario.

…Or Not

Of course, we know more today about fat-free foods than we did a decade and a half ago. We now understand (from experience) that cutting fat out of our diets does nothing to reduce calorie intake. Further, we know (from science) that foods high in simple sugars (foods with high Glycemic Index scores) contribute to plenty of health problems – notably storing fat. So, by following the trends in fad dieting, we actually ended up creating and eating foods which increased body fat rather than fat loss. Ironic.

Fat-Free Does Not Mean Free of Fat

We know, today, that what seemed healthy a decade ago is not actually healthy. By replacing fats with simple sugars, the total calories were reduced, but the metabolic function of the body is altered for the worse – fat storage is increased. This is not to say we should NOT limit our fat intake. It is true – less fat equals fewer calories. But “fat-free” foods sacrifice calories at a far greater cost. The key is to AVOID high fat diets, rather than to REDUCE fat intake. Cut fried foods from your diet and don’t add extra fat to your foods in order to limit calories; “fat-free” foods are only lower in calories, they were not created to burn body fat.