Im new to this "make better choices thing" help ?

for example: I don't eat most "light" foods, because most contain more ADDED sugar than "regular" ones (and usually lots of other stuff). And I like a diet high in fat (and lower in added sugar)

See, this is why I think the question was confusing. I'd consider a "light" food to include using a vinegar or dressing made of vinegar and mustard or vinegar plus just a bit of olive oil or lower fat dairy, and none of those include more "added sugar" (except that I guess the ingredients in a homemade dressing that aren't focused on fat might), like if you are bothered by balsamic vinegar or adding a bit of honey or whatever.

Yup. I get it. On here, though, I often see "light" as being a "low fat" option. Like "light mayo".

I'm not a big fan of "processed" foods especially those that are "low fat".

So what does this mean? 0% fat dairy? I see absolutely nothing wrong with lower fat dairy, although I also see nothing wrong with full fat dairy if people prefer it. Sometimes I think there's this idea that "diet" foods are bad, by definition, that gets extended too far.

I mean, I drink diet soda, and have no shame about it, but it seems kind of unfair to lump it and Fage 0% in the same basket and suggest that eating, say, 0% fat yogurt means one is not concerned about nutrition as well as cutting calories (not saying you said this, but something I'm reading in some of the posts). I totally agree that the fat fear was over the top once upon a time and that fat can actually help someone trying to reduce calories, because of satiation, but that doesn't mean that one must only eat full fat everything. I mean, some classic "low fat" and "processed" foods are skinless boneless chicken breasts and low fat ground beef and, especially, ground turkey. Those are quite popular among many of the nutrition-conscious is my impression and while they aren't usually my favorites (I don't do ground turkey and prefer my chicken with bones and skin), I don't think they are actually counterproductive. It depends on how much you like them and where you want to save calories. I mostly think people should be aware of the tradeoffs.

I'm a supporter of anything that you can do that will keep you on the road to a healthier life, is a good thing. It doesn't do much good to radically change your eating habits to be completely healthy from day one, if you can only stick to it for a week or two, and then fall back to all your bad habits. It's much better to slowly make the changes you can stick with long term.

Good advice.

I eat heavy calorie "sauces" like dressings.. I just portion my meals appropriately to make room for them

Oh .. I just thought of something else I do that might help (I eat a LOT of salad).

I'm a big fan of "taco" style salads .. If you like avocado - the consistency of this will add the "creamy" factor you're looking for in a dressing. I have also put salsa on a lot of salads too (sodium's a tad higher in this so be careful). I'm actually doing the salsa trick tonight on some pasta

Best of luck!

I'm not a big fan of "processed" foods especially those that are "low fat".

So what does this mean? 0% fat dairy? I see absolutely nothing wrong with lower fat dairy, although I also see nothing wrong with full fat dairy if people prefer it. Sometimes I think there's this idea that "diet" foods are bad, by definition, that gets extended too far.

I mean, I drink diet soda, and have no shame about it, but it seems kind of unfair to lump it and Fage 0% in the same basket and suggest that eating, say, 0% fat yogurt means one is not concerned about nutrition as well as cutting calories (not saying you said this, but something I'm reading in some of the posts). I totally agree that the fat fear was over the top once upon a time and that fat can actually help someone trying to reduce calories, because of satiation, but that doesn't mean that one must only eat full fat everything. I mean, some classic "low fat" and "processed" foods are skinless boneless chicken breasts and low fat ground beef and, especially, ground turkey. Those are quite popular among many of the nutrition-conscious is my impression and while they aren't usually my favorites (I don't do ground turkey and prefer my chicken with bones and skin), I don't think they are actually counterproductive. It depends on how much you like them and where you want to save calories. I mostly think people should be aware of the tradeoffs.

I'm a supporter of anything that you can do that will keep you on the road to a healthier life, is a good thing. It doesn't do much good to radically change your eating habits to be completely healthy from day one, if you can only stick to it for a week or two, and then fall back to all your bad habits. It's much better to slowly make the changes you can stick with long term.

Good advice.

I guess I wasn't specific enough, what I was talking about in regards to "low fat" processed foods I wasn't talking about basic dairy (though aside from greek yogurt and cheese I don't eat dairy) or ground meat, or chicken breasts. I was specifically talking about packaged foods (such as salad dressings, breads, prepared frozen items (like lean cuisine) etc. My family is shocked that I even use salad dressing mix (only for ranch) I make a thousand island that uses greek yogurt, home made relish and ketchup (which is also homemade) (yes I am a food snob and not ashamed of it). The biggest reason is I don't do well with much sodium in my diet (and never have) and processed foods tend to have massive amounts of it, plus I have the time, and the knowledge to make almost anything myself from scratch. Obviously what works for one, doesn't work for all, and I am by no means judging anyone for the choices they make in regards to what works for their fitness goals. If one can't maintain a dramatic change, then one should take baby steps and if low fat processed foods helps them take the first steps then that is great, but they should be aware that it isn't the only option.

I've stumbled on Yogurt salad dressing which tastes unbelievable. I generally always look at sodium due for blood pressure reasons. Other than that, I don't look for anything "light" today than I did before I was more conscious of calorie intake.

Do you mind sharing the brand name of the dressing you are talking about? My daughter currently loves ranch and I would love to see if I can find a better option for her.

Sure - it's Wegmans.