14 DAY TRIAL // Even if we’re dieting or not, we are constantly attracted to the low-fat aisle in the supermarket, where the so-called figure-friendly products are. Because they’re marketed as super light and low on fat, we tend to believe that they’re actually healthier, while also a wonderful help when it comes to maintaining our weight. As it happens, the truth can be, in some cases, far from that, as scientist, Professor Lesley Regan says for the Daily Mail.
Regan, now working on a BBC televised series meant to overturn the myths that stand tall in today’s society – among which the one with the diet-friendly foods –, is also the scientist behind last year’s “revolution” in the beauty industry, when she proved all the claims cosmetics companies made about their products were mostly based on bogus science. She has now turned her attention to diet-friendly products, and to prove how they can actually do more harm than good, especially when we’re trying to lose weight.
Not all such products are good for us, Regan says in a piece for the aforementioned publication. Because the dieting segment of the foods industry has seen an incredible ascension over the recent years, companies have come up with very smart marketing that places all the emphasis on one particular aspect, while completely ignoring the others, such as is the case with the light, low-fat products. This is why reading the label of the item before buying it is essential, Regan says.
“We assume products labeled ‘reduced fat’ and ‘light’ will be better for us – but they can still be relatively high in fat and calories. The only regulation in place is that foods labeled “low fat’ must contain 3 per cent or less fat, and ‘fat free’ must not contain more than 0.5 per cent fat – so these are usually a good buy. It’s worth comparing nutrition labels, though, as ‘low fat’ could still contain more calories than standard versions. Food manufacturers are always trying clever ways to make their foods appear healthy.” Regan warns.
In order to illustrate that, Regan offers as example a recent ad for Jaffa Cakes, which was banned for intentionally misleading consumers into thinking they contained fewer calories than other similar products. The advert said they had only one gram of fat for each cake, but, in fact, they weighed only 10 grams – meaning they actually contained 10 percent fat, which is far from the “low fat” standard.
Unfortunately, this deceiving marketing does no apply only to low-fat foods, since most items labeled as healthy as far from that. “Processed foods marketed as healthy are often anything but. This is because they contain large amounts of sugar and salt, and, through processing, have lost many of their nutrients. ‘Whole grain’ is another marketing craze, and although whole grain foods are healthy, just because something contains fiber doesn’t mean much. A product must be high or rich in fiber to have any real benefit.” Regan concludes by saying.