Stop The Junk Food

Fat free is not the same thing as calorie free. Not even close. Fat free foods tend to be loaded with all kinds of artificial things that make them calorie rich, which is what you want to avoid more than fat. Just because something is low in fat doesn’t mean that you can eat as much of it as you like.

Take, for example, granola cereal. 1/2 cup of regular granola cereal has roughly 250 calories, yet the same amount of low-fat granola cereal has about 210 calories. That isn’t a significant difference, yet many people think that the low fat version can be consumed with reckless abandon. All that stands to do is shoot your caloric intake through the roof, undermining your fitness goals. The comparison is even more evident with peanut butter, where two tablespoons of reduced-fat and regular peanut butter both contain roughly 190 calories.

Fat free foods also tend to be deficient in essential vitamins and minerals, as the refining processes that remove the fat also tend to remove those vital nutrients. Fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin E tend to be seriously lacking in fat free foods, which contributes to the large amount of fat-free dieters falling below their recommended daily intake of vitamin E.

While fat free foods can be better for you in terms of saturated fat content, it is important to remember that saturated fat and calories are not the only things that affect your nutrition. As with any fitness-oriented diet, you should make sure that your vitamin and mineral intake is adequate, easiest by simply taking a multivitamin that includes your required intake on the important nutrients.