so they had a campaign to take fat out of as much food as possible

[ensho]

then everybody got fat and fatter.

strange and interesting.

I never went with it and always looked for food with the fat left in or the highest fat content, like what they do with cottage cheese. 2% and 4%.

has there been any studies on this phenomenon?

[Arkansas Granny]

1. I recall reading some time ago that many of the foods that were marketing

as low fat actually contained more calories than the regular fat version because of the added sugar to make it taste good.

[ensho]

3. aahh - thanks for the clue

nt

[DevonRex]

5. Not just sugar, either. Simple starches are used to thicken the foods

(like cottage cheese) so the consistency will be more like the food they're trying to mimic. And they add more salt, too.

[ensho]

7. more clues - thanks

nt

[elocs]

6. As a label reader I can attest that is true.

Look at 2 jars of peanut butter, 1 regular, 1 reduced fat. Yes, the reduced fat one will have less fat, but it will have more calories.

[YOY]

12. That ain't sugar Granny.

n.t.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. Duplicate - delete.

[DevonRex]

4. Many times they replace the fat with simple carbs

which also contribute to weight gain. Plus, fat actually starts the reaction that tells the brain you're full so you stop eating sooner.

[ensho]

9. a further clue

nt

[TwilightGardener]

8. The question, though, is not necessarily concerning weight--it's whether everyone's

cholesterol and triglycerides went down, and whether we're suffering fewer heart attacks as a whole.

[ensho]

11. doesn't look like it has worked. pharma barons would also have fits

if the fat was put back in and the crap taken out.

they would lose money on cholesterol medicine.

[ensho]

10. seems like the remedy to fatness is putting the fat back in foods and

taking out the added sugars, salt, additives, etc. they put in.

the food barons would probably have fits and temper tantrums at such a suggestion.

Michelle Obama should be made aware of this if she doesn't already know it.

[DevonRex]

15. Yes. I decided that eating "real" foods in moderation is a better

solution for me. And I exercise - just walking about an hour a day. My weight has gone down and my mood is much better. And I actually enjoy the food I eat. What a concept.

Oh boy, if Michelle talked about it there would be really big money fat cats coming out against her, from the food industry and diet industry and the drug industry and even doctors. They all make money out of this.

[elocs]

13. People, and not everybody, got fatter because they ate more calories,

not simply because low fat foods are available. Also, just because they are available does not mean those with a weight problem will eat them. Add to that the mindset that if low fat, fat free, or no sugar food is consumed, then it is ok to eat more of other food. Drink a Diet Coke so it's ok to eat more fries.

People eat fatty foods because those foods taste good and people crave them. There was the story last night on PBS news about the overweight school kids in Mississippi, how the food served in school was made more healthy and without everything being fried and most of them hated it.

I've always chosen foods that had reduced fat and do not have a weight problem so I guess my anecdotal experience cancels out yours.

[Bonobo]

14. And now the beef tastes like shit and is redder than maguro.

MMMM! Shimofuri!

[sense]

16. Yes, there have been studies

and they are detailed in the book by Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories. He looked at a very large amount of the research on diet, obesity, etc. and he discovered that what the researchers said they discovered isn't what they discovered. Egos keep getting in the way of our getting the information we need. Many of the researcher simply wanted their hypothesis to be correct so that's what they reported instead of what the studies actually showed. It's been going on for a very long time and we're all suffering from the effects of disinformation. We're trying to do the correct things to be healthy and fit and we're being lied to about what that is.

It's a very interesting book, but very long and most people won't want to read it because of all the detail. He's putting out a more "user friendly" version for people who'll only read small books, or who simply want the conclusions and don't care about the how or why.

Fat is not our enemy. Simple carbs are. Well, hfcs and other chemicals, pollution, etc...........

[DevonRex]

17. Thank you for recommending that book. I will certainly read it.

Anyone with a brain should realize that it's not just a matter of calories. A person who consumes 1000 calories of sugar will have a much different physical reaction than if they had consumed 1000 calories of green vegetables.

[sense]

18. Absolutely!

[ensho]

20. thanks for info on the book, etc.

nt

[Tailormyst]

19. Fat in food is not bad. Tons of empty carbs is.

I changed the way I each in January and have lost a good deal of weight.

I eliminated white flour (pasta,bread, etc,) rice and potatoes (in time I will add these back in small quantities), sugars. I eat meats, certain dairy products (NOT the low fat, high sugar types) and lots of vegetables. It will be a long time before I am the size of a normal person, but I feel better and healthier then I ever have. I watch everything I eat to make sure it has value and I learned just how badly I was eating before, even in a house without "junk food". Much of the things we don't think of as junk, are.

[ensho]

21. you have said something smart - "much of the things we don't think

of as junk, are".

re: food.

[Tailormyst]

22. I want to add one other thing, sort of a challenge

Even to those with no weight problems.

Use a site like www.Fatsecret.com and for a day or two log in absolutely everything you eat. I think most will be surprised and maybe even a bit shocked at what they find.