"Skinny/Light" vs. "Whole"

KourtneyLee

I love to cook, and am always looking for new recipes to use for dinner, lunch packs and other things to plan and make ahead so I don't have to think much about what I'll be putting in my belly for the week. Lately, I've been exploring two different and very popular eating styles/websites and cookbooks.

One of these sources is "Skinnytaste" - a boatload of recipes that includes low-calorie, low-fat "lighter" meals using a lot of fresh ingredients like whole fruits and veggies and others that would read "reduced/low/non-fat" or "light". I believe the main focus in these types of meals is to have the fewest amount of calories and so far I have enjoyed everything I have made from these types of sites, but am concerned with the amount of controversial "light" products they use. I'm not new to nutrition - I am aware that these seemingly healthier products are typically packed with other chemicals and artificial sweeteners to maintain flavor but remain low in calorie.

My other favorite source is "100 Days of Real Food" - this source uses the mindset of overhauling one's foods and general lifestyle to become completely unprocessed, similar to a Paleo diet. I love that these types of recipes don't contain any processed foods and that the ingredient lists on all products are short, things you can pronounce, and easy for your body to digest. However, these recipes use items addition to fruits and veggies that are full-fat (even whole milk (that most have been told to shun) and things that are harder to come by in your typical grocery store.

I'm just wondering what kinds of recipes and things you all have been having more success with between the two. I'm becoming more and more unprocessed and haven't yet gained any weight from fuller-fat products, but am wondering if I will see a tip on the scale from them. Do you prefer watching your calories or watching your ingredient list? Which lifestyle is easier for you to maintain?

stealthq

If you are concerned about the scale, calories are what you should be concerned about. That is what is important for weight loss. Then figure out what you can fit into that so that you are not unduly hungry and you enjoy your food. That could be all full-fat, all 'light', or a mixture of the two. You need to figure out what works for you.

There's nothing inherently problematic about eating full fat products, other than the additional calories. But full fat often is more satiating so you don't need to eat as much. It also often tastes better so you may want to eat more than you should.

There's nothing inherently problematic about eating 'light' foods with artificial sweeteners or fat substitutes. Years' worth of studies have been done and show no negative side effects unless you happen to be sensitive to one of them. Then there are digestive issues like those who are lactose intolerant and drink regular milk, so you'll know if that's the case. Benefits of 'light' foods are that you can eat more of them. But, they might not be as satiating for you, and in that case there is no benefit.

Personally, I base my choices on taste. And the presence of xylitol and maltitol - I'm sensitive to those. I pick skim milk because I don't like drinking whole milk. I'll cook with skim as long as it doesn't affect the taste of the final product. If it does, I'll use whole. I won't eat yogurt with artificial sweeteners because every one I've tried has tasted nasty to me. On the other hand, I drink diet soda because regular doesn't taste that much better that I think 100+ cals per serving is worth it. Anyway, you get the idea.

auddii

I personally use a mix to help me reach my goals. I focus mostly on staying within calories and so will eat "low fat" versions of somethings to get there. Others, I make fit into my goal. One of the major ones is that I eat low fat greek yogurt; it's just too hard for me to personally get the full fat version to fit and still allow room for other treats.

That said, I go for full fat ice cream.

WinoGelato

For me personally, I try not to exclude or restrict food based on it's ingredients or level of processing. I prefer to focus on adding foods that are more nutrient dense, and often prefer the taste of things that are nutrient dense and calorie dense - like butter, avocado, nuts, etc. But I also eat convenience foods that others restrict based on the level of processing - things like frozen meals for lunch when I haven't had a lot of time to meal prep, or jarred spaghetti sauce, or even Hamburger Helper on occasion. I too love to cook but often the convenience foods are just too convenient to pass up.

That said, SkinnyTaste is one of my favorite websites for recipes!

Need2Exerc1se

I find I have the best success when I balance these things out. Sometimes I go for diet or low calories stuff and sometimes I don't. I pick and choose based on what seems best to me.

Everything in diet is about balance for me.

Francl27

Skinnytaste actually doesn't use many 'light' products or processed ingredients at all. Light butter perhaps, but that's pretty much it (and I use regular butter in those recipes). That's why I love her site and avoid most of the others of the same kind that use artificial sweeteners in everything (which I really don't like, except Stevia in a few things).

I cook a lot from scratch too (ok I'll use jarred tomato sauce because it's much cheaper than making it myself) and pretty much always go for the 'light' version of things, but by that I mean that I just use less oil and butter, pretty much.

Except desserts. I usually go for the full fat/real sugar stuff for those (I might cut the sugar a little bit though). If I want something that is lower calories, I'll just go for a naturally lower calorie option (like an apple tart with apple sauce base instead of a pie with extra sugar, butter and flour).

For things I buy, I go for fat free yogurt usually because I can't really tell the difference for most brands, 1% milk because it's what the kids drink (and I only use it once in a while in a recipe), Edy's slow churned ice cream because it's pretty good for less calories (but I still have the real stuff once in a while), and for the rest I just buy the regular stuff.

abetterluke

Generally when a recipe calls for something "light" or "low fat" I just use the normal versions. I mean it depends on the recipe and how unhealthy it would be by using the normal but its rarely a problem. The only time I ever really buy anything that isn't the standard version of something is soy sauce because I buy the "reduced sodium" kind.

Lounmoun

KourtneyLee wrote: »

I'm just wondering what kinds of recipes and things you all have been having more success with between the two. I'm becoming more and more unprocessed and haven't yet gained any weight from fuller-fat products, but am wondering if I will see a tip on the scale from them. Do you prefer watching your calories or watching your ingredient list? Which lifestyle is easier for you to maintain?

I watch my calories and don't worry much about fat.
I don't tend to use recipes that call for canned soup. I eat full fat dairy products, chichen thighs, beef, etc. If a recipe calls for a low fat version of something then I use what I prefer and enter the recipe with what I actually used. I eat the portion size appropriate to my goal.
I eat the same foods pretty much that I always did so it is easy to maintain. I don't shun recipes that are on diet sites but I don't make them the only things I use either.

jgnatca

If you are cooking from scratch you are pretty well cooking whole.

You can cook light (more volume for fewer calories) without resorting to defatted or processed foods. Use one tablespoon of olive oil instead of a quarter cup.

I don't like extremes in anything. Removing all the fat from foods is just silly. Removing all flours or all wheat from cooking gets silly too.

I take a regular recipe and see if I can reduce the fat or cheese a little without harming it.

jgnatca

Here's one that the light and whole should reject outright:


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463848711265/

train_01

Your body needs fats, and fats make things more satisfying. I usually cook with full-fat ingredients, and then just cut back the serving size. I find I don't mind at all. I am sensitive to artificial preservatives, so there are foods I will not eat (canned soup, lunchmeat). I try to get as simple of foods as I can, but sometimes you just have to eat processed food, for whatever reason. Do what works for you and adjust calories accordingly.

KourtneyLee

Francl27 wrote: »

Skinnytaste actually doesn't use many 'light' products or processed ingredients at all. Light butter perhaps, but that's pretty much it (and I use regular butter in those recipes). That's why I love her site and avoid most of the others of the same kind that use artificial sweeteners in everything (which I really don't like, except Stevia in a few things).

I cook a lot from scratch too (ok I'll use jarred tomato sauce because it's much cheaper than making it myself) and pretty much always go for the 'light' version of things, but by that I mean that I just use less oil and butter, pretty much.

Except desserts. I usually go for the full fat/real sugar stuff for those (I might cut the sugar a little bit though). If I want something that is lower calories, I'll just go for a naturally lower calorie option (like an apple tart with apple sauce base instead of a pie with extra sugar, butter and flour).

For things I buy, I go for fat free yogurt usually because I can't really tell the difference for most brands, 1% milk because it's what the kids drink (and I only use it once in a while in a recipe), Edy's slow churned ice cream because it's pretty good for less calories (but I still have the real stuff once in a while), and for the rest I just buy the regular stuff.

Interesting, I've actually found her recipes that include dairy are usually all "light" products - non-fat yogurt, non-fat half & half, skim milk, light sour cream, park-skim ricotta, reduced fat cheeses, etc., but sometimes I will opt for full fat cheeses because I don't like reduced fat cheese. Agreed with full fat desserts being a win , and I go back and forth between 2% and skim milk just on personal taste preference!

KourtneyLee

jgnatca wrote: »

Here's one that the light and whole should reject outright:


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463848711265/

Those look delicious! And actually would probably work for whole, considering it's just bacon and full fat cheese.

KourtneyLee

abetterluke wrote: »

Generally when a recipe calls for something "light" or "low fat" I just use the normal versions. I mean it depends on the recipe and how unhealthy it would be by using the normal but its rarely a problem. The only time I ever really buy anything that isn't the standard version of something is soy sauce because I buy the "reduced sodium" kind.

Agreed!

Need2Exerc1se

KourtneyLee wrote: »

jgnatca wrote: »

Here's one that the light and whole should reject outright:


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463848711265/

Those look delicious! And actually would probably work for whole, considering it's just bacon and full fat cheese.

Why would a processed meat like bacon be more whole than a low fat food?

KourtneyLee

stealthq wrote: »

If you are concerned about the scale, calories are what you should be concerned about. That is what is important for weight loss. Then figure out what you can fit into that so that you are not unduly hungry and you enjoy your food. That could be all full-fat, all 'light', or a mixture of the two. You need to figure out what works for you.

There's nothing inherently problematic about eating full fat products, other than the additional calories. But full fat often is more satiating so you don't need to eat as much. It also often tastes better so you may want to eat more than you should.

There's nothing inherently problematic about eating 'light' foods with artificial sweeteners or fat substitutes. Years' worth of studies have been done and show no negative side effects unless you happen to be sensitive to one of them. Then there are digestive issues like those who are lactose intolerant and drink regular milk, so you'll know if that's the case. Benefits of 'light' foods are that you can eat more of them. But, they might not be as satiating for you, and in that case there is no benefit.

Personally, I base my choices on taste. And the presence of xylitol and maltitol - I'm sensitive to those. I pick skim milk because I don't like drinking whole milk. I'll cook with skim as long as it doesn't affect the taste of the final product. If it does, I'll use whole. I won't eat yogurt with artificial sweeteners because every one I've tried has tasted nasty to me. On the other hand, I drink diet soda because regular doesn't taste that much better that I think 100+ cals per serving is worth it. Anyway, you get the idea.

Interesting take on only focusing on things you have a sensitivity to. However, I have to say that despite that there may be years worth of studies that don't show side effects from added chemicals and other ingredients to foods (sucralose, dyes, BHT, aspartame, soybean oil/GMO's, nitrite/trates), there are certainly years worth of studies that sway towards the opposite I've also been told by dietitians that whole, unprocessed ingredients and foods are best and best for the body to digest regardless of specific sensitivities, but I do still tend to mix both "lighter" and "whole recipes into my diet either do to convenience or to stay true to a recipe. Thanks for your take!

lporter229

I tend to stay away from "low-fat", "light" or "sugar-free" products purely because of the way they taste and often because of the texture. Some products like 2% milk, part-skim ricotta or mozzarella are close enough for me to the whole milk versions and I tend to use them. When a recipe calls for something "light", I just sub in the regular and account for the calories.

I am also a big fan of the Skinnytaste web site. However, I have noticed that she has a tendency to place a huge emphasis on keeping things under 400 calories per serving and so she uses "light" substitutions or scrawny amounts of cheese and/or small portion sizes to make things come into this range. I guess she needs to appease her audience. When I make her recipes, I often change the ingredients and amounts as well as the serving size. I plug it all into the MFP recipe builder and get my calorie count that way. Even with these modifications, her recipes still usually come in under 600 calories, which I think is not that much for a meal.

Francl27

KourtneyLee wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

Skinnytaste actually doesn't use many 'light' products or processed ingredients at all. Light butter perhaps, but that's pretty much it (and I use regular butter in those recipes). That's why I love her site and avoid most of the others of the same kind that use artificial sweeteners in everything (which I really don't like, except Stevia in a few things).

I cook a lot from scratch too (ok I'll use jarred tomato sauce because it's much cheaper than making it myself) and pretty much always go for the 'light' version of things, but by that I mean that I just use less oil and butter, pretty much.

Except desserts. I usually go for the full fat/real sugar stuff for those (I might cut the sugar a little bit though). If I want something that is lower calories, I'll just go for a naturally lower calorie option (like an apple tart with apple sauce base instead of a pie with extra sugar, butter and flour).

For things I buy, I go for fat free yogurt usually because I can't really tell the difference for most brands, 1% milk because it's what the kids drink (and I only use it once in a while in a recipe), Edy's slow churned ice cream because it's pretty good for less calories (but I still have the real stuff once in a while), and for the rest I just buy the regular stuff.

Interesting, I've actually found her recipes that include dairy are usually all "light" products - non-fat yogurt, non-fat half & half, skim milk, light sour cream, park-skim ricotta, reduced fat cheeses, etc., but sometimes I will opt for full fat cheeses because I don't like reduced fat cheese. Agreed with full fat desserts being a win , and I go back and forth between 2% and skim milk just on personal taste preference!

Ok you're right about those! I guess you have to see what's worth spending the extra calories on. I can't really justify using full fat ricotta anymore, honestly (and my doctor told me to eat fat free everything for my cholesterol, so I try to limit the damage when possible as I'm still eating regular cheese and a lot of part skim stuff).

But I don't find anything wrong with light dairy products anyway (well, except fat free cheese, which is an aberration). Most of the time it's still delicious using those, as opposed to the full fat versions.

lemurcat12

KourtneyLee wrote: »

I'm just wondering what kinds of recipes and things you all have been having more success with between the two.

I don't usually follow recipes. I read recipe blogs (haven't checked out SkinnyTaste, but I should) and (more often) cookbooks for ideas, and then I just improvise based on what I have and feel like eating. I'm a pretty simple cook most of the time, so I really can't even think of when I'd use lower cal or fat ingredients. You mean things like boneless, skinless chicken breasts or lean ground beef? I will use those (although I'm constrained because I get my meat from a farm, so often don't have the leanest cuts, and I like bone-in, skin-on chicken better more often than not). I do usually use lower fat dairy unless it would compromise the food, and I might sub 0% greek yogurt for sour cream, but I don't use dairy in cooking all that much (but for cheese and butter) -- I mostly eat it on the side with breakfast or the like.

I don't use reduced fat fats, as that makes no sense to me -- I use butter or olive oil or the like and merely try to use less than I might have once upon a time. I don't use reduced fat cheese (well, I might use part skim ricotta) but I will use naturally lower cal/fat cheeses, like feta vs. blue cheese if I think the taste would work. (I really like feta and it's strong tasting so you can use a little with a lot of effect.) I use plenty of higher cal ingredients like olives and pine nuts when I have the calories, though. Otherwise, I tend to increase portions of vegetables and decrease portions of starch somewhat and save some calories that way.

abetterluke

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

KourtneyLee wrote: »

jgnatca wrote: »

Here's one that the light and whole should reject outright:


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463848711265/

Those look delicious! And actually would probably work for whole, considering it's just bacon and full fat cheese.

Why would a processed meat like bacon be more whole than a low fat food?

What is it about bacon that you're considering "processed"?

Bacon is a cut of meat which is then cured, generally using salt. I'm not sure that I would count curing something as processing anymore than I would count marinating something as processing.

jgnatca

KourtneyLee wrote: »

Those look delicious! And actually would probably work for whole, considering it's just bacon and full fat cheese.

The recipe I linked uses Pillsbury biscuit dough.

jgnatca

Both bacon and cheese are processed according to the Brazilian definition, but not ultra-processed. That would be reserved for the Pillsbury dough boy.

"The ingredients and methods used in the manufacture of processed foods – such as vegetables in brine, fruits in syrup, cheeses and breads – unfavourably alter the nutritional composition of the foods from which they are derived. In small amounts, processed foods can be used as ingredients in dishes and meals based on natural or minimally processed foods." - Food Based Dietary Guidelines - Brazil

Bacon is both brined and smoked.

brandyosu

I eat full fat of anything I eat. One of my absolute favorite things to eat is twice baked cauliflower. SOOOOO delicious! It has sour cream, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese AND bacon in it. I just make sure I watch my portion size (or, have the calories for more if I'm going to take more than one serving). It doesn't seem to have negatively affected me so far - I'm down just a touch under 38 pounds.

jgnatca

I'm learning all the glorious things fats can do. But I still watch it. So calorie dense. I measure in spoonfuls. Little spoonfuls. I treat nuts the same way. How big is a portion of your cheesy cauliflower, @brandyosu ?

irishdancer214

For me, I much prefer a diet of whole foods...yes I know that artificial sweeteners etc SEEM to cause no problems, who really knows. I've seen some scary research about sucralose, etc and rather than risk it I'd just prefer to avoid it. I used to be all about the 100 calories packages of stuff, reduced fat everything...but after a few years I got sick of "being on a diet" forever. I've noticed that when I spend my days eating foods with artificial sweeteners, foods that are highly processed, etc, I start feeling really tired and sluggish and my fitness goals are harder to reach. When I started moving my diet to whole foods that were very minimally processed (much easier said than done) I began feeling soooo much better and had more energy. So I would apply this to my cooking...but it is fully up to you!!!

jgnatca

Whenever I switch to more vegetables and fewer pastries, I'm full of bouncy energy, too. I think it's my hunter-gatherer instinct going in to high gear in search of a cruller.

Francl27

irishdancer214 wrote: »

For me, I much prefer a diet of whole foods...yes I know that artificial sweeteners etc SEEM to cause no problems, who really knows. I've seen some scary research about sucralose, etc and rather than risk it I'd just prefer to avoid it. I used to be all about the 100 calories packages of stuff, reduced fat everything...but after a few years I got sick of "being on a diet" forever. I've noticed that when I spend my days eating foods with artificial sweeteners, foods that are highly processed, etc, I start feeling really tired and sluggish and my fitness goals are harder to reach. When I started moving my diet to whole foods that were very minimally processed (much easier said than done) I began feeling soooo much better and had more energy. So I would apply this to my cooking...but it is fully up to you!!!

I still fail to see how low fat milk or yogurt is 'highly processed', as opposed to full fat. It's really not a huge difference...

Anyway, for me my diet hasn't impacted my energy level one bit. If anything, my best workouts were always after I had a day with too many sweets!

abetterluke

jgnatca wrote: »

Both bacon and cheese are processed according to the Brazilian definition, but not ultra-processed. That would be reserved for the Pillsbury dough boy.

"The ingredients and methods used in the manufacture of processed foods – such as vegetables in brine, fruits in syrup, cheeses and breads – unfavourably alter the nutritional composition of the foods from which they are derived. In small amounts, processed foods can be used as ingredients in dishes and meals based on natural or minimally processed foods." - Food Based Dietary Guidelines - Brazil

Bacon is both brined and smoked.

Bacon can come uncured and not smoked. Not all bacon is brined. Salt cures are common as well. But even so -- is brining, smoking, or curing any different than marinating? I'm not saying you aren't processing in the sense that doing these things IS a process technically...but then again so is cooking.

PrizePopple

auddii wrote: »

I personally use a mix to help me reach my goals. I focus mostly on staying within calories and so will eat "low fat" versions of somethings to get there. Others, I make fit into my goal. One of the major ones is that I eat low fat greek yogurt; it's just too hard for me to personally get the full fat version to fit and still allow room for other treats.

That said, I go for full fat ice cream.

This. I have 2% milk, fat free Greek yogurt, light swiss cheese slices (because it was on sale), and then Kerrygold butter, gelato, and a sharp cheddar block. When I realize I've not been hitting my fat macros well enough I'll switch over to whole milk and grab a container of full fat Greek yogurt to boost it back up (but to be honest, I eat so much Greek yogurt I get the stuff at Costco because 2 tubs is the price of 1 whole milk one).

lynn_glenmont

Francl27 wrote: »

irishdancer214 wrote: »

For me, I much prefer a diet of whole foods...yes I know that artificial sweeteners etc SEEM to cause no problems, who really knows. I've seen some scary research about sucralose, etc and rather than risk it I'd just prefer to avoid it. I used to be all about the 100 calories packages of stuff, reduced fat everything...but after a few years I got sick of "being on a diet" forever. I've noticed that when I spend my days eating foods with artificial sweeteners, foods that are highly processed, etc, I start feeling really tired and sluggish and my fitness goals are harder to reach. When I started moving my diet to whole foods that were very minimally processed (much easier said than done) I began feeling soooo much better and had more energy. So I would apply this to my cooking...but it is fully up to you!!!

I still fail to see how low fat milk or yogurt is 'highly processed', as opposed to full fat. It's really not a huge difference...

^^This. After all, if you milk a cow, you would have to stir (or shake, if you put the milk in a jar or bottle) the liquid/emulsion every so often to be able to maintain it as "whole milk" as opposed to reduced fat or low fat milk with cream floating on the top. Unless you drank it immediately. And the full milking from one cow is a lot of milk for one person to drink at one time.

abetterluke

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

irishdancer214 wrote: »

For me, I much prefer a diet of whole foods...yes I know that artificial sweeteners etc SEEM to cause no problems, who really knows. I've seen some scary research about sucralose, etc and rather than risk it I'd just prefer to avoid it. I used to be all about the 100 calories packages of stuff, reduced fat everything...but after a few years I got sick of "being on a diet" forever. I've noticed that when I spend my days eating foods with artificial sweeteners, foods that are highly processed, etc, I start feeling really tired and sluggish and my fitness goals are harder to reach. When I started moving my diet to whole foods that were very minimally processed (much easier said than done) I began feeling soooo much better and had more energy. So I would apply this to my cooking...but it is fully up to you!!!

I still fail to see how low fat milk or yogurt is 'highly processed', as opposed to full fat. It's really not a huge difference...

^^This. After all, if you milk a cow, you would have to stir (or shake, if you put the milk in a jar or bottle) the liquid/emulsion every so often to be able to maintain it as "whole milk" as opposed to reduced fat or low fat milk with cream floating on the top. Unless you drank it immediately. And the full milking from one cow is a lot of milk for one person to drink at one time.

Technically grocery store "Whole Milk" is 3.25% milk fat i believe as opposed to 2%/1%/skim. I always assumed that the cream top was basically where whipping cream came from.