We know the importance of eating less fat to reduce our risk for chronic diseases. In fact, many people are making an effort to reduce fat by making healthy food choices. In response to consumer demand, food manufacturers are providing us with more low-fat or fat-free food products, some of which use fat replacements. Fat replacements give food the flavour and texture of being high-fat without the extra calories.
Carbohydrate fat replacements are usually used in salad dressings, sauce mixes, margarine spreads, gravies, baked goods, and frozen foods, such as ice cream. They have approximately half the calories of fat and have the advantage of being heat stable. Therefore they can be used in baking.
Protein fat replacements have also been developed for use in frozen desserts, pizza cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese. These protein fat replacements are made from milk and/or egg white protein and generally have better consumer acceptance than many other fat replacements. But they still contribute some calories to the diet.
A recently developed fat replacement called olestra, has become the centre of controversy. The product is a modified fat, which is not digested by the human body. It contributes no extra calories and has an appealing taste. It can be used in both heated and cold foods. Some nutrition professionals have expressed concern with the consumption of olestra, since high levels of intake can lead to mal-absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, diarrhoea, and rectal leakage. Products containing olestra have extra fat-soluble vitamins added to combat these problems. If you eat olestra products, do so in moderation.
Fat replacements have made their way to the table. More and more of us are consuming low-fat or fat-free foods. Despite this, the population is getting fatter. Obesity is at an all time high. It seems clear that the principles of variety, balance, and moderation should be practiced as we see more and more fat-free products on the supermarket shelves.
Article #6929
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