Fat - Myths and Misconceptions
- “Low fat chocolate is low in calories” – Manufacturers of low fat chocolate will put additional sugar in the product to make up for the fat they have taken out, so the product may not be as low in calories as you think (compare the calories per 100g of different types of chocolate to see for yourself).
- “Eating grapefruit before a meal burns the fat” – Any weight loss achieved using such a practice would be due to a reduced calorie intake following reduced hunger after eating the grapefruit (any low calorie food snack before a meal will make you eat less of that meal).
- “Low fat foods do not make you put on weight” – All food contains calories, including low fat foods – they can help with weight management but it is the overall calorie intake that counts. Eat more than you need and the excess calories will be turned into fat.
- “Ghee is more fattening than oil” – weight for weight, ghee has about the same number of calories as oil. However, ghee is made from the boiling of butter and is therefore high in the saturated fat that contributes to high blood cholesterol levels.
- “Lard is higher in calories than vegetable fat” – Weight-for-weight, vegetable fat contains the same number of calories as lard.
- “Olive oil is good for the heart, so more is better” – Olive oil is good for the heart (it can help reduce blood cholesterol levels), but it is just as high in calories as animal fats and other vegetable oils. Anyone trying to lose weight must practice portion control of all oils, regardless of the health benefits that some of them carry.
- “Vegetarian cheese is low in fat” – Vegetarian Cheddar-type cheese, unless stated otherwise, contains the same amount of fat as non-vegetarian Cheddar-type cheese. The overall nutrient content is also identical; the only difference between the two is the way the milk is turned into cheese (i.e. products of animal origin are not used to convert cow’s milk into ‘vegetarian’ cheese).
- “Snack-a-Jacks are lower in fat than crisps so are better for helping you lose weight” – Snack-a-Jacks are lower in fat than crisps but they still contain calories (~115kcal in
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a 28g bag). By all means use them as a lower fat alternative, but you still need to exercise portion control if you wish to lose weight.
- “The fat in avocado is good for you so it’s okay to eat it when trying to lose weight” – The fat in avocado is high in beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids, but if you eat more than the body needs the excess will be stored as fat, just like the other types of fat you eat.