Why I Eat Whole Fats Over Sugar

I have a confession to make: I don’t buy “low fat” foods. Like, ever. I order my lattes with whole milk and I buy Greek yogurt at the store. When I read the labels on the back of my food, I look for one thing above all else—and unlike many people, it’s not the amount of fat or calories. It’s the sugar content.

Low-fat options often contain more sugar.
Image: Shutterstock

Certainly, I look at other things besides the sugar content (ingredients list and sodium come next), but that’s where I start. As someone who tries to be conscientious about my health and what I feed my body, I find that my main concern when choosing food is how much sugar I’m putting into my body.

Why? Fat has for a considerable amount of time been labeled as the culprit for making people… well, fat. That claim certainly has some basis to it. Fat contains more calories per gram than sugar does and it’s very nutrient dense, which means that large amounts of it can reside in small amounts of food.

That can be both good and bad. “Good” fats reside in many natural foods, like nuts, avocados, seeds, and dairy products. Our bodies need fat to function properly because it helps protect our hearts and organs, feeds our metabolism, and gives us energy. These natural fats also help sustain our bodies for longer and fill us up faster, which means that we can eat smaller portion sizes and last longer on them.

Nuts contain natural "good" fats that our bodies need.
Image: Shutterstock

Sugars can also occur naturally, but that’s not usually what I’m looking for when I read labels. I’m looking for added sugars, like high fructose corn syrup. It’s in an astounding amount of foods (Did you know ketchup has it? How about most Chinese foods?). Unfortunately, the more sweet foods we eat, the more we seem to crave sugar—and unlike natural fats, these calories are empty.

It’s not just a little sugar, either. An Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea contains 66 grams of sugar in a single can. Most sodas have similar amounts. These things often don’t fill us up, either, which means we eat several hundred calories’ worth of sugar only to get hungry again shortly.

Furthermore, daily consumption of sugar forces our bodies to constantly release insulin to manage blood-sugar levels and the storage of sugar. Besides having excess sugar turned into stored (bad) fat, sugar also causes a number of other health problems like tooth decay, iron and magnesium deficiencies, arthritis, sleep problems, digestive problems, and weight gain.

Of course, fat isn’t all good. If you gorge yourself on avocados, nuts, or coconut oil, you’ll probably gain some weight. But the point is, you’re less likely to do that than to overindulge on sugary foods.

Image from sugarstacks.com
Sugar is packed into sweet snacks like soda

One last thought: fat often helps give our foods flavor and substance. For example, I don’t like skim milk in part because it just tastes like water with a tiny bit of milk flavor mixed in. When you take that fat out, most of the time it ends up being replaced with something. Any guesses what that might be?

Bingo. It’s sugar, all right. Low-fat varieties of coffee creamers, flavored milk, and even yogurt often have higher sugar content than whole-fat ones. In my mind, I figure that while one may be higher in fat (and even calories), if it keeps me full for longer, I’ll be less likely to get hungry and have to snack before my next meal.

I don’t deny that there’s merit in watching our fat intake, and I do so especially with processed fats. But I do think that the mentality that “fat” is the main culprit for weight gain is a false one. In our sweet-toothed country, I point my finger at sugar.

5 Healthy Eating Fallacies

Since I started actually doing my research about healthy eating, I’ve found out that a lot of the things I initially thought were nothing but common misconceptions or fallacies. I thought “low fat” was a synonym for “healthy” for a long time, but that’s not necessarily true. I also always just equated calories as the main cause of weight gain. Basically, I had part of the truth but not the actual facts or science.

"All-Natural" does NOT mean organic. In fact,
it doesn't mean much at all.
Image: Shutterstock

These days, I walk through the supermarket knowing better; but it’s painfully clear how seduced our society is by labels like “low fat,” “organic” and (my favorite) “all-natural.” Sure, there’s some merit in those things, but it’s not an excuse to ignore the label. And it doesn’t always mean what you think it means. Here are some common fallacies about healthy eating:

If it’s all-natural, it must be good for me. That’s the same as “organic,” right? Wrong. The FDA’s definition of “all-natural” is extremely loose. Basically, any food that doesn’t contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances can be labeled as all-natural. However, these foods can still contain processed sweeteners, lab-produced flavors and colors, and other additives and preservatives.

If I exercise, I can eat all the junk food I want. Definitely not true. My three-mile runs burn just over 300 calories, yet s medium sized Chocolate Cookie Dough Blizzard from Dairy Queen contains almost 1,000 calories, 36 grams of fat, and 157 grams of carbs. Ouch!

Image from dairyqueen.com
A medium Cookies & Cream Blizzard has 980 calories.

Buying organic is a must for all produce. While I prefer organic produce when I can afford it, I certainly don’t prescribe to the notion that all food should be bought organic. It’s most important when avoiding the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen,” or most contaminated foods. However, many foods are unlikely to contain contaminants even when you buy the non-organic option. Of course, locally grown can be a healthy medium here, since many local farmers follow organic practices but can’t afford official certification.

Energy drinks and protein bars are really healthy. Unfortunately, no. Check the back label of a bottle of Gatorade or a high protein energy bar and you’re likely to see that they’re full of sugar, often high in calories, and have lots of carbs (plus a TON of strange ingredients you can’t pronounce). These products are some of nutritionists’ biggest pet peeves. If you’re working out, you will burn off many of those calories, but if you’re not, eating an energy bar is just like eating a candy bar—just with more protein.

Image from bigsisterdiaries.wordpress.com
Bingeing on the weekends isn't healthy.

Eating healthy means never eating junk food. Prescribing to this view often ends up being self-destructive in the end. Never allowing yourself to enjoy your favorite “junk” foods can make us feel socially alienated at times and sometimes makes the cravings even worse. The key to healthy eating is to be in control of our cravings and indulge sensibly and in moderation. Eating healthy M-F only to break and binge on the weekend isn’t healthy for our bodies or our minds. Instead, don’t feel so guilty about the occasional slice of cake—just make sure “occasional” treats stay that way.