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Low Fat Foods are not necessarily
Low Calorie

Written by Elizabeth Daeninck, MS, RD
Published in February 2007

(HealthCastle.com) If you think that low fat means low calories, read on. Often, reduced fat items have more sugar added to enhance the flavor, which contributes calories to the final product. Also, many of us think that by eating the low fat version of a food, we can eat more of it. If you are watching your weight, this will only sabotage your efforts.

Check out the list of foods below to see the difference in calories (if there is any) between common low fat and regular fat foods.


Low-fat or Fat-free		Regular
	Reduced Fat Peanut Butter 2 Tbsp: 190 calories, 12g fat		Regular Peanut Butter 2 Tbsp: 190 calories, 16g fat
	Low Fat Wheat Thins 16 crackers: 130 calories, 4g fat		Regular Wheat Thins 16 crackers: 150 calories, 6g fat
	Low Fat Oreos 3 cookies: 150 calories, 4.5g fat		Original Oreos 3 cookies: 160 calories, 7g fat
	Fat Free Fig Newtons 2 cookies: 100 calories, 0g fat		Regular Fig Newtons 2 cookies: 110 calories, 2g fat
	Low fat Fruit-flavored Yogurt 6 oz: 173 calories, 1.8 g fat		Regular Fruit-flavored Yogurt 6 oz: 170 calories, 6 g fat
	Low fat Granola Cereal ½ cup:160 calories, 2.2g fat		Regular Granola Cereal ½ cup: 210 calories, 6g fat
	Light Tortilla Chips 1 oz: 132 calories, 4.3g fat		Regular Tortilla Chips 1 oz: 141 calories, 7.3g fat
	Fat Free Apple Cinnamon Muffin Small: 130 calories, 0g fat		Regular Apple Cinnamon Muffin Small: 147 calories, 6.9g fat

The Bottom Line:

Although it is a good idea to limit your fat intake, you can see that sometimes there is not much of a calorie difference between the low fat (or fat free) version of a food compared to its regular version. So, what are you to do? If you like the taste of a particular higher fat food, limit your calories by controlling your portion. If you think that eating low fat or fat free foods permits you to eat more of a specific food, think again!