What do you think about low fat?

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caimay199
caimay199 Posts: 39 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious - do you guys opt for low fat cheese, non fat greek yogurt, etc? Or go for the real thing? Obviously full fat has more calories, but high fat has more flavour and some studies say keeps you fuller.

I'm not talking about chemical laden stuff, like margarine and low fat processed products, I'm just interested whether people choose a little of the high fat stuff or save and go for low fat.
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  • Shadowmf023
    Shadowmf023 Posts: 812 Member
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    I used to do low fat fat free ect. It worked. But it doesn't anymore. I opt for full fat everything now.
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I generally avoid low-fat options mostly because they taste worse. And some products don't even have less calories/100g since they replace a lot of the missing fat with carbs.
  • RhapsodyWinters
    RhapsodyWinters Posts: 128 Member
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    Sometimes I go for the low fat stuff, especially when it's just an ingredient in a recipe (such as cheese or milk). Sometimes I don't when I want to have the flavor. For me, the most important part is attempting to stay under the calorie restriction. I can always exercise and burn calories to make room for the more fatty foods.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Fat keeps some people fuller. I'm not one of them. For that reason, I opt for lower fat dairy products. I also am not a fan of saturated fat. Fat is simply a flavor enhancer for me. I like to save my calories for foods that fill me up like protein and carbs. I actually prefer most light cheeses (I know, burn the infidel).

    So, I opt for low fat cottage cheese, low fat yogurt, 2% milk, and those 2% cheeses. I do use butter, though I tend to prefer olive oil for most things.
  • hupsii
    hupsii Posts: 258 Member
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    I used to eat lots of low fat yoghurts but recently noticed that I can no longer tolerate them. They give me stomach cramps. Back to full fat and it tastes so much better
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    Full fat for me!
    I intensely dislike low fat cheese, yogurt etc., and as you say, I feel more satiated with less food and the satisfied feeling lasts much longer.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I generally avoid low-fat options mostly because they taste worse. And some products don't even have less calories/100g since they replace a lot of the missing fat with carbs.

    In baked goods, you might have a case to make, but since the OP is talking about dairy products, lowfat dairy does not replace fat with carbs.
  • caimay199
    caimay199 Posts: 39 Member
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    Interesting! I like to use butter and just portion it properly - you don't need that much. But i switched to full fat greek yogurt and full fat cheese, and i'm not sure if it's worth the calories or not.
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I generally avoid low-fat options mostly because they taste worse. And some products don't even have less calories/100g since they replace a lot of the missing fat with carbs.

    In baked goods, you might have a case to make, but since the OP is talking about dairy products, lowfat dairy does not replace fat with carbs.

    OP didn't explicitly say this thread is dairy only. She only mentions it as examples. Regardless, my statement still stands.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    Most low fat/no fat food options are nasty. Like no fat cheese for example. <shudders> ;)

    I do love greek yogurt, (including salad dressing) 1% milk, light cream for my coffee. But I prefer to use the 'regular' fat foods in most instances. I just use less of them and less often.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    If they run out of full fat at the store I will settle for the low fat version, but bleh. I find that in most food products you can cut the fat by 1/3 if you need to before quality starts seriously deteriorating. Any more than that and it gets yucky.
  • MsRuffBuffNStuff
    MsRuffBuffNStuff Posts: 363 Member
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    Low fat usually means higher sugar or carb. But that's ok. I have three words for you. Dana Linn Bailey. She's low fat, high carb. Do what makes your body function the best. I personally do better on higher protein, higher fat, no sugar or starch.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I eat full fat when possible but reduced fat when it is not (due to unavailability or not fitting my calorie budget.) I do not like the taste of most fat free products (cottage cheese, salad dressing, etc.) so I avoid them when possible.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I eat full fat dairy and butter.
  • richln
    richln Posts: 809 Member
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    I prefer full fat. I did low- or no-fat dairy for years, but full-fat just tastes so much better. I would rather have smaller serving sizes of things that I really enjoy than a large serving of meh.
  • caimay199
    caimay199 Posts: 39 Member
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    right - that's sealed it for me - I'm sticking with full fat!
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
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    Depends on the product and how many calories left for the day. We use both.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I generally avoid low-fat options mostly because they taste worse. And some products don't even have less calories/100g since they replace a lot of the missing fat with carbs.

    In baked goods, you might have a case to make, but since the OP is talking about dairy products, lowfat dairy does not replace fat with carbs.

    It does sometimes. Low fat yoghurt is often sugary, sometimes even the low fat bio yogurts have sugar added. So it's worth watching out for.

    I personally go for full fat dairy because I love it, and avoid a lot of commercial "low fat" options because of the above carb-swapping trick. However, I will use low fat tricks in my own cooking as it can be a really easy way to cut calories in a dish.
  • Dachs6
    Dachs6 Posts: 1 Member
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    Low-fat "might" be good if it is cutting out saturated fats. Remember some fats are good, in some cases extraordinarily good. As some commenters above have stated, low-fat options often do not taste as good (and let's face it, taste is one of the aspects of food that makes food appealing), unless they've been filled with other things, like sugars, to offset the lost flavor.

    Best option in my opinion, is choose foods that are low in saturated fats, low in sugars (particularly added sugars), and when possible, eat foods with the fewest ingredients possible. Fiber, protein, and fat will make you feel full, and leave you feeling sated for much longer.

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