Fat-Free Means What?

A recent survey from New Hope and iVillage showed that of the top ten label claims women respond to on food packaging, fat-free came in second only to high fiber. Fat-free? Really? Have we not gotten past this awful and misleading term?

1. Fat is not always the enemy. Unless you are consuming trans fat, copious amounts of saturated animal fat, or excessive amounts of corn/soybean oil, fat is extremely healthful and necessary to maintain optimal weight.
   
2. Fat-free almost always means chemical-laden, sodium-saturated, beyond sugary, or often all three.
3. As we our now even beginning to see in public health policy, excess carbohydrates are the problem when it comes to weight.
   

Let's break down popular fat-free products shall we?
Note: we didn't bother delving into fat-free snacks, candies, or desserts for obvious reasons.

Wishbone Fat-Free Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Red Wine Vinegar, Cabernet Sauvignon Wine, Sugar, Salt, Soybean Oil (Adds An Insignificant Amout of Fat), Garlic, Onion, Lemon Juice Concertrate, Xanthan Gum, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Calcium Disodium Edta (Used to Protect Quality), Natural Flavor, Sulfiting Agents.

Kraft Fat-Free Mayonnaise
Water, Modified Food Starch, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Vinegar, Soybean Oil, Contains Less Than 2% Of Salt, Cellulose Gel, Natural Flavor, Artificial Color, Egg Yolks*, Xanthan Gum, Mustard Flour, Lactic Acid, Cellulose Gum, Phosphoric Acid, Vitamin E Acetate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Dried Garlic, Dried Onions, Spice, Yellow 6, Beta Carotene, Blue 1, With Potassium Sorbate And Calcium Disodium Edta As Preservatives.

Coffee-Mate Fat-Free Powdered Coffee Creamer
Corn Syrup Solids, Vegetable Oil (Partially Hydrogenated Coconut or Palm Kernel, Hydrogenated Soybean), Sugar, Sodium Caseinate (MSG), Dipotassium Phosphate, and less than 2% of Color Added, Mono- and Diglycerides, Sodium Aluminosilicate, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Salt, Annatto Color.

Dannon Activia Light Probiotic Yogurt Fat Free Vanilla
Cultured Grade A Non Fat Milk, Inulin, Water, Contains Less than 1% of Fructose, Corn Starch, Modified Corn Starch, Kosher Gelatin, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Malic Acid, Sucralose (Splenda).

Stonyfield Fruit on The Bottom Yogurt Fat Free Strawberry Organic
While the ingredients are natural, it packs a walloping 21 grams sugar per serving!

Weight Watchers Yogurt Non-Fat Vanilla
Milk Fat and Nonfat Milk, Fruit Base (Crystalline Fructose, Inulin Fiber, Vanilla Flavor with Other Natural Flavors, Food Starch-Modified, Citric Acid, Sucralose (Splenda), Potassium Sorbate as Preservative), Inulin, Whey Protein Concentrate, Food Starch-Modified, Kosher Gelatin, Sodium Citrate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Cultures, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3. Contains: L. Acidophilus and Bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium SP. and S. Thermophilus.

Bush's Best Baked Beans Vegetarian Fat Free
Prepared White Beans, Water, Brown Sugar, Sugar, Tomato Paste, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Mustard (Water, Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric, Spices), Onion Powder, Spices, Extractive of Paprika, Garlic Powder, and Natural Flavor.

Campbell's Condensed Healthy Request Soup Chicken Noodle 98% Fat Free
Chicken Stock, Enriched Egg Noodles (Wheat Flour, Egg Solids, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Chicken Meat, Carrots, Water, Chicken Fat, Contains Less than 1% of: Salt, Potassium Chloride, Potato Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Onion Powder, Dehydrated Cooked Chicken, Lower Sodium Natural Sea Salt, Flavoring (MSG), Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Dehydrated Garlic, Modified Food Starch, Milk Solids, Maltodextrin, Spice Extract (MSG), Beta Carotene for Color, Soy Protein Isolate, Sodium Phosphates, Nonfat Dry Milk, Chicken Flavor (MSG), Beef Extract (MSG), Ascorbic Acid Added to Protect Flavor.

Hebrew National Franks Beef 97% Fat Free
520 mg. sodium per serving!
Beef, Water, Modified Food Starch (Ingredient in Excess of Amount Permitted in Regular Beef Franks), Contains 2% or Less of: Sodium Lactate, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (MSG), Flavorings (MSG), Paprika, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite.

Get the picture?

In the 70's, fat became public enemy number one and Big Food started to put more carbs and added sugars in their products. Let's hope we don't make the same mistake again by replacing carbs and added fats with chemicalized/bad fats.

Forget fat-free, sugar-free. Big Food needs to find a way to make their food real and balanced, pure and simple!