Full fat food vs Low fat/Fat free food?

I have been going to a dietitian at the outpatient ED clinic, and she has told me that the body's hunger signals are dictated by the types of the food you eat, not how much you eat.

Therefore, you could eat 5 bowls of boiled vegetables... and be hungry again in 1 hour.

But, if you eat a handful of nuts and a banana, it will keep you full for hours and hours.

In the same way, if you eat a full fay yoghurt, it will keep you fuller for much longer than a fat free yogurt... and eventually lead to eating less calories, since you won't feel hungry as soon.

Ofcourse, i still can't justify full fat yogurt and soda..etc.

But i DO see her point...

What does everyone think?

I rather go with your dietician.   I like to have a good mix of naturally low-fat foods like vegetables for bulk, together with naturally high-fat ones like olive oils, beefsteak or nuts for satiety.  Quite often I find a small amount of the 'Real McCoy' is more satisfying than large quantities of low-fat or 'diet' alternatives thickened with starch. 

i personally don't rely much on foods that are low fat versions of full fat ones. i'd rather go natural on that, since i noticed that these low fat/fat free goodies are higher in sugar to make up for the lost fat (in terms of taste or something)..

but it depends on the kind of food though, for treats like chocolate or cookies etc i do opt for lower in fat but watching out for sugars too.. though on things like milk, cheeses, other dairies, even ice cream, i go for the regular. i've read somewhere that it is better to go for the original versions of the healthy things (even if it has higher fat that low fat versions) because our body recognizes it better thus we get better nutrition from it...

i think the problem lies w/ the whole full fat/low fat thing is that just because something is low fat or fat free, people see the need to have multiple portions of it. My own father does this, it annoys me to no end.... i will bake cupcakes and he'll complain if they are "full fat" because he can only eat just one versus if i made fat free blueberry muffins, he'll eat 5.. argh.

I agree with your dietitian. Mostly because I learned from my own experience that low fat versions don't satisfy me. If, for example, I'm craving ice cream and have a small serving of my favorite one, I'm fine. But if I try to substitute it for a low fat version, I'm not satisfied and I keep searching and nibbling on other things that don't satisfy me until I get frustrated, go out and buy my fave ice cream and have it. So in the end, I consumed way more calories and spent way too much time obsessing over it for nothing.

Also, when I entered the nutrition facts for the yoghurt I eat - the full fat and the fat free version - while the full fat has almost twice the calories, it gets a grade B. The fat free version gets a C. So I prefer to have less of a good thing.

I think the quality is just as important as quantity. So I'm looking for high grades in foods I eat. I also noticed that these foods keep me fuller for way longer than low grade foods.

Original Post by vesnaneresna:

I think the quality is just as important as quantity.

 Allelujah!!!  That's the best thing I've read all day.

I keep really good Parmagiano reggiano on hand.  Using a microplane grater I can add a few grams of great flavor to my dinner.  I could buy fake or low quality Parmesan, add more quantity, end up with less flavor/satisfaction.  And be worse off nutrionally.  I agree with vesnaneresna -- quality is way more important than quantity.

Well I guess I get to be the odd man out here... But when it comes to dairy products- yogurt/milk/sourcream/cheese/ice cream etc... even mayo, I go with the low fat and in a lot of cases fat free version. But only because their full fat alternative will literally have my gut wrenching. I can drink 2L of Skim milk and I'm fine, but 1 cup of 2% milk and I'm doubled over in agony.  I do however use real parmesan, but only 5g at a time so that's probably why it doesn't seem to affect me. Everything else though is in their natural full fat glory!

I had heard somewhere that you absorb more of the calcium from skim milk than you do from milks with more fat, I don't know if it's true or not, but I'll take it!

Original Post by makenasmom:

Well I guess I get to be the odd man out here... But when it comes to dairy products- yogurt/milk/sourcream/cheese/ice cream etc... even mayo, I go with the low fat and in a lot of cases fat free version. But only because their full fat alternative will literally have my gut wrenching. I can drink 2L of Skim milk and I'm fine, but 1 cup of 2% milk and I'm doubled over in agony.  I do however use real parmesan, but only 5g at a time so that's probably why it doesn't seem to affect me. Everything else though is in their natural full fat glory!

I had heard somewhere that you absorb more of the calcium from skim milk than you do from milks with more fat, I don't know if it's true or not, but I'll take it!

You aren't alone!  I have a mix of low-fat/fat free and whole fat products in my house. Dairy tends to always be fat free (butter and milk), but when it comes to ice cream, give me the full fat version! Though I have to admit Skinny Cow makes some darn good ice cream sandwiches :o)

I also go low fat for my meats, but that's mostly because I hate eating a burger that's so greasy it's dissolving my bun.

Original Post by jkc715nyc:

Original Post by makenasmom:

Well I guess I get to be the odd man out here... But when it comes to dairy products- yogurt/milk/sourcream/cheese/ice cream etc... even mayo, I go with the low fat and in a lot of cases fat free version. But only because their full fat alternative will literally have my gut wrenching. I can drink 2L of Skim milk and I'm fine, but 1 cup of 2% milk and I'm doubled over in agony.  I do however use real parmesan, but only 5g at a time so that's probably why it doesn't seem to affect me. Everything else though is in their natural full fat glory!

I had heard somewhere that you absorb more of the calcium from skim milk than you do from milks with more fat, I don't know if it's true or not, but I'll take it!

You aren't alone!  I have a mix of low-fat/fat free and whole fat products in my house. Dairy tends to always be fat free (butter and milk), but when it comes to ice cream, give me the full fat version! Though I have to admit Skinny Cow makes some darn good ice cream sandwiches :o)

I also go low fat for my meats, but that's mostly because I hate eating a burger that's so greasy it's dissolving my bun.

 I hear ya on the meat too... I have never been able to eat breakfast sausage w/o boiling it to death first and then browning it. Again, tummy aches, and ick factor. I used to buy regular ground beef, just cuz I was on a very tight budget, and I would cook it, drain the fat, rinse it off, then add a bit of water and my spices. Now I'm glad that I can afford extra lean & avoid the hassle!

As for ice cream, I found the most amazing low fat frozen yogurt, that puts even my favorite full fat ice cream to shame... So it's a win win!

Fat + Me = A sexy relationship that works very very well!

I adore fat and include it in every single meal... of course I stick to the healthy fats like omega-3s & mono saturated fats. I find that eating a high fat/ high protein diet keeps me full for long stretches of time so that I don't have to constantly be thinking about what to eat next... I can focus on more important things (like my summer school class, etc).

I am glad you see your dietitians point... you should now try and include fattier foods into your life... cook with olive oil, eat some avocado, indulge in some fatty fish! Go for it! Plus, your organs will love you for it because they adore healthy fat too! :) 

I eat fat free foods that can be naturally fat free - like skim milk and 0% greek yogurt. Also, I eat lean meats - no red meat or pork (though i know there are health benefits, I don't prefer them). Lots of fish, including fatty fishes like salmon and tuna. but when it comes to things that need to be artificially made fat free - like peanut butter or italian dressing i say no. 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter is actually satisfying. Homemade balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil is actual satiating. I would never eat fat free if fat free just meant it had extra sugars and starches as thickeners - only foods that are naturally low in fat for me!

I'm another 'odd man out'. I like fat free versions just as much as full fat versions. I'm not a big dairy lover, so I enjoy skim milk much more actually! They fill me up just as much as the regular versions, but I feel much better afterwards (as in, mentally).

I agree though that parmesan cheese cannot be subsituted. :)

Original Post by vesnaneresna:

I agree with your dietitian. Mostly because I learned from my own experience that low fat versions don't satisfy me. If, for example, I'm craving ice cream and have a small serving of my favorite one, I'm fine. But if I try to substitute it for a low fat version, I'm not satisfied and I keep searching and nibbling on other things that don't satisfy me until I get frustrated, go out and buy my fave ice cream and have it. So in the end, I consumed way more calories and spent way too much time obsessing over it for nothing.

I find that, many times, not only am I okay with just a small serving of my favorite full-fat things, I can't exceed a small serving. Especially with ice cream - I can't put away a full container of Dove's Unconditional Chocolate in one sitting(which is good, I guess, because when I can't finish it, someone else does...). I think a lot of full-fat things are richer than their low-fat/no-fat counterparts, and that helps me with portion sizes.