Does Eating Low-Fat Foods and Sweeteners Improve Your Diet?

That's a stupid recommendation based on the scope of the study:

The purpose of this study was to compare the dietary strategies, and use of fat- and sugar-modified foods and beverages in a weight loss maintainer group (WLM) and an always-normal weight group (NW).

The weight loss maintainer just used more "diet" foods than the always normal weight group, which implies they felt the pressure already existing to consume this processed junk.

No, THANK YOU!

absolutely. i can't go without sweet 'n' low. i use a packet or two and a splash of skim milk in my morning coffee. certainly a dietary upgrade from the sugar and cream i used to use. i even use the pink packets when i cook.

when i do eat bread at home, i only use low-calorie bread. they ring in at 40 calories a slice versus the usual 70-100. i also use fat-free sliced cheese (25 calories per slice) and 98% fat free deli meats (2 slices at 15 calories each), and voila, i have a sandwich that totals 135 calories.

the times i choose a salad, i would only use light dressings on them.

i do avoid diet sodas and diet snapples. drinks like that serve my body no purpose.

I started using Crystal Light for awhile, but it made me feel...strange. It gave me hot flashes (no, I'm not going through menopause...I'm a 30-year-old male). One benefit of Crystal Light was that the flavors made it easy to drink a lot of water quickly. But it wasn't worth the discomfort so I went back to normal water.

I use 1 or 2% milk, and I use neufchatel instead of cream cheese. If I eat yogurt, sometimes I'll do low-fat, but if the choices are full fat or non-fat, full fat it'll be. I use regular sugar in my coffee at home, but will use Splenda if I'm out. I'd probably drink diet soda before regular soda, but soda only happens once or twice/year.

I think it's mostly about calories, and I'd rather eat a bit more fat, a bit less empty carbs. I still lose weight.

Of course. From a dietary perspective, 2 packets of sucralose in your large coffee is better than 4 teaspoons of sugar. Less of anything useless is typically better. Furthermore, most sucralose passes right in and out of your body; only a very small amount is actually metabolized. Sugar, on the other hand, is entirely absorbed and is well known to be directly responsible for many chronic conditions we see in our society today. Meanwhile, whatever the conspiracy theorists may say about the various sweeteners, they can't prove it conclusively. Certainly everyone's body is different and your mileage may vary. If you feel a reaction to any substance, discontinue using it. But generally speaking, responsible use of artificial sweeteners is a good way to cut sugar intake.

I eat non fat Greek yogurt but otherwise just good, healthy foods. I do use Splenda & I know many out there disagree with that but things like Stevia do not jive with my stomach & they have never made me want to eat more like some of the studies show.

For the most part, I don't eat most of the low-calorie processed foods out there. I prefer to eat foods that are pretty close to their natural state. However, I do drink diet soda. Mostly because I just plain like it better than regular soda and it doesn't have any calories in it. I do limit myself to 2 diet sodas a day; I'm not really thinking that that small amount of Nutrasweet will do much harm. I also like the fat free nondairy coffee creamer in my coffee (I've tried skim milk and half and half...I guess I just like the fat free nondairy creamer better).

Most of that low cal stuff is kind of a ripoff though....why would you pay like, $3 for "egg substitute" when a dozen real eggs are only $1.50?

I avoid all food with artificial flavors, colors, additives and preservatives. So that rules out most low fat and altered foods with chemicals.

I stick to food in its natural state and just don't eat as much. It tastes so much better!

I think its funny when I see someone with a Diet Coke and reduced fat chocolate bar and they think they are doing a good thing for their body. What! They are just kiding themselves.

I don't usually go for fat-free versions of food as they don't usually taste very good. Also fat-free versions of food usually ends up having more sugar than the original version to compensate for the lack of fat. This is worse for me, as I have less control over sugary food than over fatty foods.

I usually go over foods that are low in sugar, as opposed to those that are low in fat.

wait, wasn't there just a slew of studies that said the artificial sweeteners contribute to metabolic syndrome and the subjects had higher body weights and were more likely to get diabetes?

There's nothing wrong with eating sugar for those with good insulin sensitivity.

The only advantage of using sugar replacement products is that it lowers calories which can help weight loss.

It's also amazing to me that in this day and age, with all that we know about a proper diet, there are still people like Gerry that seem to believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that a diet low in fat is healthy.

For years studies have shown that low-fat foods lead to more fat. Likewise, studies have shown that synthetic low-cal sweeteners (aspartame, splenda) lead to more sugar cravings.

The world of nutrition is ruled by diet fads and the food industry.

Here's a nice article from Ode Magazine that tears the low-fat myth apart.