Diet products... Worth it?

Kittyy1994

hi
I was just wondering is it worth eating diet products for less calories? Or is it better to just eat the normal products, I have heard some diet products have hidden nasties!?

Replies

melonaulait

Eat normal food instead.

adub119

Real food

Jain

Diet foods are usually full of additives. And don't taste so good to me. I only have them if I can't cook for myself. Real, home cooked, meals are much better and you know exactly what's in them.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

It depends which "Diet foods" you are talking about.
I like diet sodas, slim noodles/rice. I use a diet protein powder to help me hit my protein goals.

I don't eat ready meals diet or other wise, I prefer my own cooking.

cityruss

They are not better, or worse. They don't contain anything that will kill you.

They contain calories, macro and micronutrients just like anything else.

It's how they fit in to your daily goals that matters. If you prefer to eat large volumes of food then maybe "diet" versions are a good way of creating more volume for you allotted calories.

callsitlikeiseeit

i mean, you can eat them if you want to, but eating normal and learning how to control portions is a better method for long term success.

a_j_paterson

I tend to avoid all products branded as 'diet'. For two reasons (i) they normally have a price premium for no real reason just because retailers know they can rip you off (ii) a lot contain all sorts of additives which you would never noramlly use in day-to-day cooking. Better off preparing your own versions of these products, and know what you are getting.

nitroglycerin

If you do choose diet products, be wary of sugar content. Often to reduce the calories they will reduce the amount of fat which leaves them bland and tasteless. To give the flavour back manufacturers will often use sugar and other additives. The products are usually labelled as fat free or low fat.

MelaniaTrump

Salads, beans, whole grains, fruit. Best diet food known to mankind.

smf4ever

Real food.. Unless you just like the taste better.. and the "diet" food fits into your plan (as far as numbers.. macros.. etc..)

janejellyroll

I don't think there is a blanket answer. I like some "diet foods" like PB2 and diet soda. Others I think are gross. Other people may hate the products that I like.

rybo

gramarye

Depends entirely on your flavor and calorie preferences. For instance, I am all about diet soda and sugar-free sweeteners for my coffee, because I like the way they taste (after years of developing a taste for them as a teen, so your mileage may vary) and I don't like wasting calories in my drinks.

However, any diet food that reduces fat to save calories is an atrocity as far as I'm concerned. Do not steal my delicious, flavor-making fat. I will make room for those calories because that flavor matters to me. However, lots of people love their "light" dairy and PB2 (as seen above), so it's clearly just down to preference.

So, I'd say experiment with what you like and don't like. As long as you're doing your best to maintain a nutritious and varied diet, you'll be fine.

Need2Exerc1se

Yes and no. Some are and some aren't. If you like them, then why wouldn't you go for less calories? But if you don't like it, why waste precious calories on food you don't enjoy.

Judge each food on it's own merits.

MarziPanda95

Eat what you want. Just make sure you reach your calorie goal. That's it.

I_Will_End_You

There are some foods I opt for the diet versions, because I don't care enough about them to waste the calories, and others I go with the regular version. One example is sandwich bread. If I eat a tuna sandwich or PBJ on toast, I don't think there is a huge difference between the light bread and regular, so I choose light. I like the light greek yogurts and diet soda. I don't notice if I use 2% shredded cheddar in a recipe, but I won't touch light feta cheese, I always go with regular on that one. There is nothing "hidden" in diet foods that will hurt you, it's all about personal preference.

Need2Exerc1se

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

i mean, you can eat them if you want to, but eating normal and learning how to control portions is a better method for long term success.

How so and what do you mean by "normal"? It's not as if you can't make diet foods part of a normal diet.

murp4069

I don't go out of my way to purchase any "diet" foods, but I do have particular things labeled "diet" that I like, like diet soda (TBH I haven't had any soda in weeks but I still like it), some of the Weight Watchers packaged snacks, etc. - mostly when I think of "diet" food I think of pre-packaged, processed food.

Other than that I stick to "normal" food and make sure I control my portions. I would say if there are "diet" foods you actually enjoy, then enjoy them and include them in your meal planning and logging. But if you don't enjoy them, I don't really see the point. You might as well have real food and work on controlling portions than eat a ton of diet food that you hate. If I did that I would have given up on losing weight not long after starting.

earlnabby

Kittyy1994 wrote: »

hi
I was just wondering is it worth eating diet products for less calories? Or is it better to just eat the normal products, I have heard some diet products have hidden nasties!?

It really depends on what it is, if you like it, and how much of it you will be eating. I eat non fat Greek yogurt and drink skim milk because I prefer the taste. I do not eat reduced fat cheese. I prefer diet soda over the full sugared ones because they taste way too sweet for me. Lower calorie frozen dinners are OK in a pinch, but they are too high in sodium and too small of portions for me to eat them on a regular basis, I would much prefer to eat food I make myself.

I do like a couple of the Walden Farms "0 calorie" salad dressings and the ingredients are not scary at all. Herbs, spices, vinegar, xanthan gum to thicken, etc. Yes, there is the ubiquitous "natural flavors" that doesn't tell you anything but you see that on a lot of foods, not just diet ones.

In other words, read labels and try some things. If you like it, use it. If you don't, don't buy it again.

brightsideofpink

As others have said, its about what fits your tastes and lifestyles. I actually like some foods labeled as lite, or diet, and find others disgusting. I've experimented a lot. If I like it, it becomes part of my options. I won't ever force something down my throat just because it says Diet on it. I've also found that there are some quick options that don't label themselves as such, but are relatively low in calories. Many of the Kashi frozen meals, for example, have no more calories than a Lean Cuisine.

Sued0nim

The diet foods I eat

0% Greek yogurt ...because more protein by volume
Diet soda cos always have
Bacon

williams969

I like diet soda, fat free Greek yogurt, and "light" salad dressings. That's about it. Everything else I eat is regular stuff. I find with just these tiny substitutions, I can fit my food into goals, which is pretty much the same food as I feed my family -homemade, whole food focused nutrition, with occasional convenience foods in moderation.

bkhadijah

I dont know what you mean by "diet food", but I like Lean Cuisine. I eat "real food" too, but I like the idea of a quick meal for work or when I dont feel like cooking. They have some as low as 220 cals. Eat it with a salad, it gets the job done. Are there Lean Cuisine that taste like crap? Absolutely. I dont eat those. I eat foods that taste good. I also like variety. Hard to make one serving of chicken marsala at 200 cals. Would require time, ingredients and more scale using that I want. Let Lean Cuisine do the work for the random times I want chicken marsala.

I also think it depends on how many cals you have. I have 1320. You really have to scale back. I eat 100 calorie bread. I eat "light" cheese, dressing, etc. Or I could eat 140 calorie bread or have a lettuce wrap. Eat your cals however you want and however works for you. Its a journey. One day I may find the sodium in lean cuisine disturbing. Today? Not my focus.

trigden1991

It's cheaper to eat less "non-diet" food

rainbowbow

I'll be honest, some items are just not worth the calories for the "REAL deal". For example, i prefer fat free yogurt. I prefer diet coke or coke zero. I like the low-calorie sandwich thins or bagel thins. I prefer plenty of low-calorie items vs. the real deal items.

But some others are NOT worth it in my opinion. For example, cheese i must have the full calorie, full fat kind. If im eating straight peanut butter on something it better be the full fat kind (whereas i prefer the pb2 powdered peanut butter in shakes because it gives the same flavor and it isn't worth it to use 200 cals for peanut butter in a shake to me).

In my opinion, why not try them out and see what you prefer? As you continue on your journey it should be able for you to determine where you like to splurge and where it's just not worth it.

Asher_Ethan

I enjoy the light soups Progresso offers.

Dayofthebread

I drink diet soda and have low fat yoghurts, mainly because I prefer the taste to the full sugar/fat version, but things like cheese I'll normally go for full fat. I also like light salad dressings and lite crisps, I just try and see if I like something.

bobshouse

I used to live on weight watchers products until I realized how many chemicals they contained. I now eat clean food. It means having less but it tastes so much better.

janejellyroll

bobshouse wrote: »

I used to live on weight watchers products until I realized how many chemicals they contained. I now eat clean food. It means having less but it tastes so much better.

Preferring the taste of other foods is a great reason to avoid Weight Watchers products. But all foods have chemicals.

misskarne

Well, it depends. I love diet coke, I can't stomach full-strength coke, if I drink any I end up crawling up the walls all day. (The exception is Vanilla Coke, which should only ever be drunk full-strength).

I also drink light milk, but the reason for that is because my mother had severe gall bladder issues when I was growing up, and we didn't really have the money for two separate bottles of milk for the family, so I was raised on the light stuff and now the full-cream stuff upsets my stomach in a big way.