A: Not necessarily. Mary Wilson, Registered Dietitian explains “Fat itself is a concentrated source of calories. So reducing the fat content may trim calories, but carbohydrate-rich ingredients may take their place and keep the calorie count up. It’s essential to read the Nutrition Facts on the food label to really know what you’re getting.
For example, let’s compare the regular Fig Newtons with their fat-free version. One regular Fig Newton has 55 calories, 1.25 grams of fat, and 11 grams of carbohydrate. The fat-free Fig Newton has 50 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 11 grams of carbohydrate. Huh? Yeah, the fat is gone but the calories are still there. How can that be? Well, the regular Fig Newton is slightly larger (1.5 grams) than the fat-free one which accounts for the 5 calorie difference. So what’s the benefit in buying the fat-free Fig Newtons? Yes, you do save 1.25 grams of fat but you don’t really save much in the way of calories.
You can see it’s not only important to read the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label -so you know whether buying the low-fat or fat-free version is all it’s cracked up to be -but you also need to check the price and the package size to make sure you’re not being gouged!”
To learn more about the food label:
http://www.gethealthyclarkcounty.org
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My wife and I like to Juice our fruits and veggies in the morning for a wake up cup. Is juicing just as good as eating the fruits and can you eat too many fruits and veggies.
By Dan Herget: 02.12.09 at 9:27 am | Permalink
Dan-
Juicing is a nice alternative to eating raw fruits and vegetables. However for the otherwise healthy person however, whole or cut up fruits and vegetables are preferred for a few reasons .
1. Whole fruits and vegetables contain fiber, which most American adults don’t get enough of to begin with, but juicing removes the fiber (in the pulp). Men should try to get 38 grams of fiber and women 25 grams every day.
2. Eating a fruit or vegetable requires chewing and more effort, thus it is more satisfying and filling. Fiber also promotes satiety, the feeling of fullness.
3. When fruits are eaten whole the absorption of sugars is not as rapid as it is from a juice state.
Can we eat too many fruits and vegetables? Most people do not eat enough of these nutrient rich fruits and vegetables that nature gives us. The general recommendation is to eat 2 cups of fruits and 2½ cups of vegetables every day, but that varies according to your gender, physical activity level, age, and size. When it comes to juice, 1 cup of juice is equal to 1 cup of cut-up cooked or raw fruits and vegetables, and we should limit our intake of fruit juice to 1 cup per day. For more information on fruits and vegetables or to find out your specific needs visit http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/
-Aurora Buffington,MS,RD
By Get Healthy Staff: 02.12.09 at 11:50 am | Permalink
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