Studies have shown that these sugar free/ low fat foods may not be as healthy as people have been led to believe.

When managing your weight or forced to reduce calorie-intake due to a pre-existing condition like diabetes, it may be necessary to start taking low fat or sugar free foods.

Sugar Free Foods

Studies show that they can lead to weight gain that even regular foods.

They are misconstrued as less filling and thus people eat more of it.

They have added sweeteners added to retain the pleasant taste.

While normal foods have glucose or sucrose which are broken down from normal sugars, sugar free foods have artificial sweeteners which people call "fake sugars".

They have processed sweeteners that may be more dangerous to your health because of the chemicals used to make them.

Diet sodas, low calorie yoghurts and diet fruit juices that contain fake sugars aren't necessarily lower in calories.

Low Fat Foods

Low fat foods end up with extra sugars to compensate for the lost taste of the fats removed.

Fatty foods are known to be among the best sources of energy but they also contribute to the pleasant taste in most foods that have fats.

When foods have these fats removed, sugars are added and this makes the foods end up with even more calories.

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Should you choose to use low fat/ sugar free foods for weight management or to watch your sugar intake, ensure that you use such foods in moderation. Always check the list of ingredients and the calorie count keeping in mind that a teaspoon of sugar is 15 calories.