If you’re trying to lose weight or just want to have a healthy, balanced diet, you’re probably monitoring your calories. After all, if you eat more of them than you should, you’ll end up gaining weight, as the excess calories will be stored in your body as fats. Calories are everywhere, from vegetables to fast food.
There’s no way to dodge them except by eating the required amount. Too less and you’ll become under-weight. Too much and you’ll become overweight. As a result, fitness consultants recommend that you consume food that is low in calories but sufficient in nutrients that your body needs. Your diet shouldn’t consist of carbohydrates and fats only!
In recent years, processed, low-fat foods have become prominent among people that want to lose weight. The companies that make them claim that they don’t contain saturated fats, unlike most processed foods these days. As a result, your body only consumes the necessary fats that are used for energy without going into excess.
However, is it true that processed, low-fat foods are typically low in calories as well? In this article, we will accentuate this question and give you all the details about whether this is true or whether are companies that make these foods just deceiving you for revenue.
Are processed, low-fat foods typically low in calories?
In short, no! For years, food companies have deceived their customers with ingenious marketing by telling them that low-fat foods are beneficial for those that want to lose or maintain their weight. However, this is far from being true!
Processed, low-fat foods do contain sugar, which is one of the most common and abundant sources of carbohydrates. 100 grams of sugar contains around 387 calories and is composed entirely of carbohydrates. Processed, low-fat foods contain a significant amount of it as well to compensate for the bad taste as a result of removing saturated fats.
In other words, eating processed, low-fat foods means that your diet comprises mostly carbohydrates. As per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, an average person only needs between 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrates. Since most of those will come from processed, low-fat foods, you can end up gaining weight instead of losing it. Not to mention, your body will also be deprived of other essential nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and many others.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you answer the question, processed, low-fat foods are typically low in calories – true or false? If you have any further queries, do mention them below and we will respond to you as soon as we can. If you have suggestions, do comment below as well. We’d love to hear what you think!
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