Are low-fat and fat-free (non-fat) foods low in calories?

Eating a low fat diet is good for you. That said, you must have fat in your diet.

Beyond the fact that your body needs fats, they taste good.

It is important to remember that low-fat doesn’t always mean low-calorie and non-fat does not mean no calories. Apples don’t have any fat and are good for you, but they still have calories.

The issue is that a lot of low-fat or non-fat foods on the market are actually very high in calories.

Many times they are also much higher in sodium than the “regular” version. Food manufacturers will add sugars and other carbohydrates as well as salt to compensate for the fat that is left out.

Always check the calories of foods that you are eating. Many times the low-fat version will have almost the same amount of calories (or more) that the full-fat version.

There are some places where low-fat is generally better. Dairy products are one. On the other hand, any snack food that is labeled low-fat (or low-anything) should be suspect. Check the Nutrition Facts on the label.