fat free vs sugar free?

tronapage
tronapage Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
Which do you go for? It seems to me that most the fat free products shows higher carbs and sugars. Why is that? My bff thinks that the manufacturers add sweetness to put SOME flavor in fat free products. I'm not sure that I disagree with her.

Replies

  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Def go with sugar free!
  • ellieranc
    ellieranc Posts: 32 Member
    This is one of those da*&ed if you do/da*&ed if you don't situations. A lot of sugar free foods have added fat to make them taste better and a lot of fat free foods have a lot of sugar and sodium to get them to taste better. Best thing to do is read the labels and see how much, if any, of the extra additives you are willing to tolerate.

    It's all a pain in the tushie. :)
  • jerbear1962
    jerbear1962 Posts: 1,157 Member
    Being a diabetic I usually shoot for Sugar free but there is usually about twice as much fat...because not having the sugar they need to add flavor. Fat Free usually has sugar added for a taste I do my best to have fresh natural foods. I eat fruits in place of my old candies.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    I try to go with neither if at all possible.

    They do add more sugar to fat free products to make up for it and sugar free is usually sugar free due to added artificial sweeteners. Neither is that appealing.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    You're absolutely right and I saw a thing going around on FB that says "when you see fat-free, think 'chemical *kitten* storm" and that's about right. I stay away from sugar free (I'm not diabetic) and fat free processed foods unless I'm having a "cheat", then I go for the full-fat version. Other than that I eat REAL food with as little refined sugar as possible!
  • cressievargo
    cressievargo Posts: 392 Member
    Sugar free generally means they used something else to sweeten - usually splenda or aspartame. Fat free..most of that stuff has a whole lot of added stuff it, and a lot of "fat free" stuff has more calories than the "regular" version.

    I try to avoid processed / packaged food to avoid these situations.
  • stargazer008
    stargazer008 Posts: 531
    Your bff is correct! For fat free items, more sugar is added to hide the lack of fat. I'd rather go with sugar free as long as the sweetener is natural like xylitol or stevia.
  • mikeyboy
    mikeyboy Posts: 1,057 Member
    I try to skip both of them.... but if I have to have my dark chocolate... I go for sugar free.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    What is wrong with either in moderation? Fat does not make you fat and you need a certain amount of saturated fat. Sugar in moderation is also relatively harmless, key work being in moderation. Why the fear of foods (orthorexia). Foods don't harm you or make you overweight. Eating more calories than you burn each day over a period of time makes you overweight.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    Sugar free,,,,,, nothing wrong with fat, as long as it's not hydrogenated
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I go for the less processed stuff. I don't need sugar added to things. I dont need it taken out of things either. I usually get plain greek yogurt and plop some berries in there. Tastes better and I can read the ingredient list to a 5 year old and they can understand whats in it
  • Stephanie_Autry
    Stephanie_Autry Posts: 228 Member
    I go for sugar free everything and if I can find a non-fat item with low sugar then it's a win-win! :bigsmile:
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
    Look at the labels - if the item has ingredients you can't pronounce - don't buy it! Most fat free items are full of substitute chemicals. Sugar free sometimes is too.

    The cleaner you eat, the happier your body will be!
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    Sugar free....I would avoid sugar before I avoid fat.
  • scott1646
    scott1646 Posts: 110 Member
    I choose neither, there's always something else added in it that I have to be worried about. I may be a small percentage of people like this, but when I see fat free or sugar free and a dozen of other ingredients added in the product, I just feel uneasy about eating something that may be even worse for me.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I generally try to get products that are as unprocessed as possible. Anything that advertises itself as "diet" food of some kind is generally more expensive and overly processed.
    - things that are "fat-free" typically have a lot of added sugar and/or salt to give them flavour when they take the salt out.
    - things that advertise themselves as "sugar-free" often have some kind of hidden sugar or a chemical sweetener.

    Go for actual food or ingredients (rolled oats, natural yoghurt as a couple of examples) and you can add your own flavouring or extra fat if you want it. Then you know what's in it and you get to control the quantities.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Which do you go for? It seems to me that most the fat free products shows higher carbs and sugars. Why is that? My bff thinks that the manufacturers add sweetness to put SOME flavor in fat free products. I'm not sure that I disagree with her.

    Neither. I eat organic, whole, unprocessed food.
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,688 Member
    Sugar free is better. You're right. They put more sugar into fat free products for flavor. There's a book about it but I can't remember the name off hand. But the answer is still choose sugar free over fat free.
  • Arthemise1
    Arthemise1 Posts: 365 Member
    Sugar free. There's nothing wrong with fat.
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
    Although I don't eat a lot of fat, I'd be more inclined to go with less sugar. I buy unsweetened soy/almond milk rather than buying low fat.
  • SpazzyMal
    SpazzyMal Posts: 276 Member
    I don't go for "____ free" foods at all, as a general rule. I try to focus more on eating less processed food in general. Besides, they both tend to taste shoddy compared to the "regular" version of the products, and if I'm buying something that I have to start worrying about the sugar or fat content, then it's supposed to be a treat that's rarely eaten anyway — and who wants to go for the cruddy version of something that's supposed to be a treat, that they're not going to enjoy to its fullest? Better to just eat less of it but get it in the full-fat or sugary version instead.
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
    If I had to choose one I'd go sugar free.

    I try to eat very little processed food so its a non issue for me really. My day if full of fresh vegies, some fruit and lean protein.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I don't go for "____ free" foods at all, as a general rule. I try to focus more on eating less processed food in general. Besides, they both tend to taste shoddy compared to the "regular" version of the products, and if I'm buying something that I have to start worrying about the sugar or fat content, then it's supposed to be a treat that's rarely eaten anyway — and who wants to go for the cruddy version of something that's supposed to be a treat, that they're not going to enjoy to its fullest? Better to just eat less of it but get it in the full-fat or sugary version instead.
    Exactly. I was ranting to my bf the other day about how manufacturers trick innocent people into thonking somethings healthy when its not. My favorite story was the company that put out the fat free salsa and started making allot of money on it because of that wonderful free word.

    ...the majority of salsa is fat free...you can now find salsa with labels saying things like "fat free like all the rest"
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
    its true, most "nonfat" foods add sugar (milk is a perfect example, compare heavy cream to nonfat and HC is actually better for you sugar-wise). its really up to you to determine what fits your goals better. for me I try to get a good balance of nonfat stuff if its loaded with protein or fiber, i'm willing to overlook the sugar content unless its abnormally high. on a good day i like to get most of my meals to at least break even when it comes to the carb vs protein ratio. i'm a label reader so i like to see whats going in my food, if its fat free and still meets all my calorie/fiber/protein criteria but loaded with a bunch of 20-syllable words i'm probably not going to buy it lol
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I don't go for "____ free" foods at all, as a general rule. I try to focus more on eating less processed food in general. Besides, they both tend to taste shoddy compared to the "regular" version of the products, and if I'm buying something that I have to start worrying about the sugar or fat content, then it's supposed to be a treat that's rarely eaten anyway — and who wants to go for the cruddy version of something that's supposed to be a treat, that they're not going to enjoy to its fullest? Better to just eat less of it but get it in the full-fat or sugary version instead.
    Exactly. I was ranting to my bf the other day about how manufacturers trick innocent people into thonking somethings healthy when its not. My favorite story was the company that put out the fat free salsa and started making allot of money on it because of that wonderful free word.

    ...the majority of salsa is fat free...you can now find salsa with labels saying things like "fat free like all the rest"

    Boy, I sure hate "thonking"!

    Lol, j/k. Couldn't resist.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I don't go for "____ free" foods at all, as a general rule. I try to focus more on eating less processed food in general. Besides, they both tend to taste shoddy compared to the "regular" version of the products, and if I'm buying something that I have to start worrying about the sugar or fat content, then it's supposed to be a treat that's rarely eaten anyway — and who wants to go for the cruddy version of something that's supposed to be a treat, that they're not going to enjoy to its fullest? Better to just eat less of it but get it in the full-fat or sugary version instead.
    Exactly. I was ranting to my bf the other day about how manufacturers trick innocent people into thonking somethings healthy when its not. My favorite story was the company that put out the fat free salsa and started making allot of money on it because of that wonderful free word.

    ...the majority of salsa is fat free...you can now find salsa with labels saying things like "fat free like all the rest"

    Boy, I sure hate "thonking"!

    Lol, j/k. Couldn't resist.
    who would have thonk it.
    Image.jpg

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