The Cooking Cardiologist

Question: A nutritionist and a fitness trainer have told me that “full fat” is better for weight loss than “fat free” or “low fat”. What do you think?

Name: Cindy
State: Colorado

Cindy:

This is a very common question among Americans. And no wonder, the store shelves are filled with products labeled low fat it can be confusing and difficult and know which product is really the healthy option.

Some of the confusion has come from misleading products in the past. For example, we were burned in the ‘90’s by what I call “The Snack Well’ problem. Fat was removed from the product, only to be replaced by sugar. The calories were the same or even higher in the lower fat products. Even today, peanut butter that is labeled as reduced fat has the same number calories as regular peanut butter.

While it is important to pay attention to your fat intake it is only part of the puzzle. The part of the nutrition label that you should be paying attention to is the calorie content. It is important to track your caloric intake and make sure you are not exceeding your daily allowance, regardless of the fat content.

The point - calories count! As we continue to debate the percentages of fat, carbohydrates and protein, we still keep gaining weight in America. Gone is the concept of “one size fits all”. What will work for you may not work for someone else. Bottom line, eat what you want but make sure that you do not exceed your daily-recommended calorie limit!

Think Thin, Cook Well.

The Cooking Cardiologist