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Light Foods – Do They Help Or Hinder Weight Loss? By

Light beer gets a nod, but light chocolate gets the thumbs down. So when it comes to the huge array of ‘light’ foods, which ones help you lose weight and which ones don’t make a difference?

• What are light foods?
• Group 1 - Super savers
• Group 2 - Some savings
• Group 3 - No savings in fat or kilojoules
• Top tips on light foods

• Light or Light?

What are light foods?

Light or lite foods refer to those foods that have been lightened in fat, sugar or alcohol to reduce kilojoules (calories). Generally they’re 25 or 30 percent lower. But in some cases this reduction may be as little as 10 percent or in fact zero, just being light in colour or texture. Whatever quality is being lightened must be stated on the label. Here are the ones that are worth the swap.

Group 1 - Super savers

The following light products really save you lots - over 30 percent saving in fat (or sugar or alcohol) AND kilojoules - and can make a difference to your diet efforts.

Light milk

On the label, full-fat milk doesn’t look that high in fat at only 3.5 percent or 3.5g per 100ml. However, if you drink 2 cups a day, that fat intake quickly rises to a hefty 17g (that’s almost a quarter of your recommended daily intake). By buying light you’ll save on fat and also saturated fat, the ‘bad’ fat that’s implicated in heart disease.

Light cream

Good savings here! You’ll drop around half the fat and around half the kilojoules. And it’s fine to make a sauce or ‘finish off’ a soup, but it doesn’t whip up well.

Light cream cheese

Another way to cut the fat by half and saves you about 40 percent in kilojoules. That spreadable texture is maintained with cottage cheese and skim milk.

Light coconut cream

Coconut cream is usually high in fat and saturated fat. But by buying light, you can save up to half the fat. Note there is great variation between brands, so it pays to check the label and look for a brand with 11 percent or less.

Light beer

Light beer can help you keep your alcohol under the limit if you’re driving. In addition, it’s an easy way to save kilojoules - there’s 395 kJ in a 375ml bottle of light beer compared to 560 kJ for a bottle of full-strength beer.

Group 2 - Some savings

These light foods are not worth giving up the taste of the real thing for. Why? Even if they save you fat, they don’t save you many kilojoules as the fat is replaced with extra sugar or starch to maintain a smooth creamy texture or an attractive taste for baking. But they’re useful for reduced saturated fat or sodium - so compare the label.

Light peanut butter

Regular peanut butter is half fat, thanks to the natural oil of peanuts. Switch to the light version and you get a huge drop in fat content from 53 to 38 percent. But only a 12 percent saving in overall kilojoules. Why? To maintain the spreadability, starch thickener and more sugar have been added.

Light ice-cream

Again you save fat but not much in kilojoules as extra sugar and additives like maltodextrin have to be added to maintain a creamy texture.

Light microwave popcorn

You'd think that less fat would translate into a lot less kilojoules. But sadly it doesn't! You drop the fat by 43 percent but only save 16 percent of the kilojoules.

Light chocolate

Everyone loves chocolate so a light bar offers pleasure without guilt - until you look closer. Often the saving is simply due to a smaller bar size. For example, a regular fun size bar weighs 22g while the light alternative weights only 16g. You save because you’re eating 6g less chocolate overall.

Group 3 - No savings in fat or kilojoules

These light foods give you no saving in fat or kilojoules.

Light olive oil

Light olive oil has exactly the same fat and kilojoule count as regular oil but without the strong flavour. Don't be fooled by this one.

Light instant gravy powder

Light gravy powder has the same fat and kilojoules but 40 percent less salt.

Top tips on light foods

1. Buy the light version but keep to the same portion as you normally eat. You can’t eat twice as much if you want to lose weight.
2. Fat adds flavour. If you take the fat out, you have to put something else in to give a light food enough flavour and texture. Often what you add back is sugar, fruit puree or starch and these add kilojoules.
3. Read the label and check what is being lightened – is it the fat, salt, alcohol or just the texture or colour?
4. Sometimes it’s more enjoyable to eat a small amount of the ‘real thing’ than lots of a light substitute. Sit down, savour a small serve slowly and you’ll feel satisfied.

Light or Lite?

We have used the original spelling of the term ‘light’ throughout even though some products describe themselves as ‘lite’.

About the Author

She regularly provides healthy eating and nutrition advice for people looking for health insurance and health cover.

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