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| THE FAT TRAP | |||
What exactly is meant by the terms- lite, low fat, fat free and reduced fat? We take a lean look at lables... |
The international rule, established by Codex,
is 3g/100g for ‘low fat’ and 0,15g/100g for ‘fat free’. Codex, which has 165 member countries, including South Africa, is the international commission started by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to develop global standards for foods in general.
In South Africa, at present, there is no law to determine the maximum fat content of food products labelled ‘low fat’ or ‘fat free’. However, new labelling legislation, based on Codex, will be published this year.
One gram of fat has more than double the kilojoules of one gram of protein or carbohydrate, so don’t be taken in by the ‘fat free’ and ‘low fat’ labels on the front of the pack. Look at the small print on the back and work out how much fat and how many kilojoules there are in an item. A product that says it is ‘85 percent fat free’ actually contains 15 percent fat, so it can hardly be called low fat.
‘Low fat’ can still mean loaded with fat. Local low-fat cream cheeses contain up to 25g fat/100g – eight times higher than allowed by the international standard. Apparently some dairy products received a special government dispensation in 1997 for their fat content to be above 20g fat/100g and still be called low fat. Low-fat cheese falls in this category – it has a far lower fat content than regular cheese, but if you’re trying to cut down on your fat intake, 13 percent fat is still a lot of fat.
Most brands of fat-free cottage cheese available on our supermarket shelves have six times the amount of fat allowed by Codex, whereas low-fat cottage cheeses can be up to double that of international rule.
Low fat isn’t always good news for kilojoule counters either. Many products compensate for lower fat by adding more sugar, for taste, and excess sugar is converted into fat by the body. Some brands of low-fat and fat-free cottage cheese contain almost three times the amount of carbohydrates compared with other cottage cheeses. We found the same to be true for a brand of fat-free yoghurt.
Before you buy because the label states ‘reduced fat’ or ‘lite’, compare it with the regular item and make sure there is a difference in the fat content. We compared a packet of ‘lite’ chips with a regular packet of chips and found they both contained the same amount of fat. Also, if price is important, be aware that low- or reduced-fat items can be more expensive.
Reading the labels:
Energy – This is the amount of energy (kilojoules) that the food will give you when you eat it. It is given per 100g or per 100ml.
Total fat – The guideline daily amount for fat is between 50 and 70g, depending on the activity level, for a woman. If you are trying to lose weight, go for 3g/100g or less in each product, but don’t forget to watch the kilojoules. Imported foods often have the total fat value divided between saturated fat (this type of fat may raise cholesterol), mono-unsaturated fat (healthier than saturates) and poly-unsaturated fat (these are the healthiest, but should still be consumed in moderation). Ideally, saturated fat should be less than one third of the total fat.
Carbohydrates – Sugars and starch are both types of carbohydrates. We need to eat more starch-containing foods and less sugary foods. Roughly half of our daily intake of kilojoules should come from carbohydrates, with most of it from starch and not from sugars.
Protein – It is important for body growth and repair. The average requirement is 36g/day for women.
Test house tips to shop wisely:
| story by Sally Kramer from FAIRLADY | |
| image by Trap | |
