by Anne Garber

Vancouver, BC, Thursday, August 30, 2007 -- With abundant food choices and a decline in physical activities, obesity and health-related problems have become issues of concern. Products labelled "low sugar, low carb, low fat and low calories" were unheard of 50 years ago.

Reduced fat:
There are many types of reduced-fat food products available nowadays. The most popular are fat-free or low-fat milk, salad dressings, biscuits and confectionery. Fat gives food its texture. When the amount of fat is reduced in a product, food additives or fat substitutes such as pectin, guar gum, olestra, monoglycerides or diglycerides, are added.

People who include fat-modified products in their diet usually have a better overall nutrient profile than those who don't. The effect of fat substitutes on total caloric intake and body weight, however, is less certain, since obesity is on the rise despite the growing number of fat-modified products in the market. If you are watching your weight, it is best not to over-indulge in low-fat food.

The fat substitute olestra has zero calories and is indigestible. It passes through the digestive tract but is not absorbed into the body. Scientists who focus on the effects of additives in the body ask: can additives interfere with the absorption of other nutrients? What effect do they have on the gastrointestinal system if they are not absorbed? There is also the question surrounding olestra of something unpleasant known as "anal leakage." (A similar problem has been affixed to the new diet "miracle," all¬i; Find other info about alli online at MyAlli.com.)

Until the answers are ascertained, concerns with fat substitutes remain.

Butter and margarine:
Butter cakes and cookies were once considered delicious and nutritious. Butter has high saturated fats. Excessive consumption of saturated fats has been shown to raise blood cholesterol level and cause inflammation in arteries, affecting heart health.

Margarine is a product of plant or vegetable oil. Unlike butter, it contains unsaturated fat and was deemed to be heart-healthy. Margarine gained popularity and became a popular substitute for butter.

In recent years, the term "trans-fat free" on the labels of margarine tubs has put consumers in a dilemma. The hydrogenation process in margarine manufacturing that turns unsaturated fats in plant oils into semi-solid margarine creates trans-fatty acids (also known as trans-fat).

While naturally occurring trans-fat does not appear to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the trans-fat created by the hydrogenation process is as bad or worst for our arteries as the saturated fats found in butter. Excessive consumption of trans-fat may raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Inflammation caused by trans-fats can also affect our immune systems and give rise to other health problems.

In recent years, various processes have been developed, like blending non-hydrogenated oil to produce soft margarine with lower trans-fat. These soft margarines are labelled as "trans-fat-free" or "zero trans-fat". Currently, products with less than 0.5g trans-fat per serving can be labelled as trans-fat-free.

So both butter and margarine need to be used sparingly. Products such as margarine, shortening, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils may contain trans-fat, as well as processed food such as biscuit, pastries and cakes that use such oil. So eat them in moderation.

Among margarines, Becel® is probably one of the best for you, yet it is made entirely of Canola oil. A little-known fact about Canola oil is that it has now been entirely corrupted with GMOs!

One margarine -- which tastes disgusting although it is good for you -- is Benecol®. Benecol® is a process, rather than a brand. It is licensed for foodstuffs -- mainly dairy -- which carry plant stanols and sterols, which have been proven to reduce blood cholesterol.

When cooking or baking, look for recipes that recommend using cooking oil as the ingredient. A simple example is to prepare toasted garlic bread by using cooking oil instead of butter or margarine.

Low calorie food:

Sugar-free products are another low calorie food for dieters. Due to various health issues involving synthetic sweeteners such as saccharine, aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose, food technologists have added a new range of sugar substitutes known as sugar alcohols to come up with sugar-free food.

In processed food you find some sugar substitutes labelled as sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, mannitol, lactitol, erythritol, Isomalt and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. These are permitted food additives with GRAS (Generally Recognised as Safe) status and are commonly added to sugar-free juices, pickles, jellies and chewing gum, just to name a few.

Sugar substitutes may have a laxative effect on some who suffer from constipation; it may cause diarrhoea in others. When the bacteria in the intestines work on the unabsorbed additives, one may experience discomfort or a bloating feeling. This is one of the setbacks of using sugar substitutes.

Most sugar substitutes are half as sweet as table sugar or sucrose, except maltitol and xylitol, which are just as sweet. To obtain the same sweetness, manufacturers may enhance the product with artificial sweeteners, or use larger amounts of sugar substitute, which leads to an increase in calories.

Sugar-free food does not necessarily have zero calories. If a product contains less than five calories in a serving size, the food is labelled as "calorie free." Therefore, every extra serving consumed adds five calories to the total calorie intake.

Wholesome eggs:
Your caffeine fix:
Coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant. In recent years, reports from institutes for coffee studies have shown that coffee is far more healthful than harmful. They claim that the antioxidants in coffee help to lower one's risk of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart problems, and diabetes, among others.

On the other hand, caffeine in coffee speeds heart rhythm, can trigger acid reflux, and leach calcium from bones. Heart patients, pregnant women and those at risk of osteoporosis are often advised to limit intake or avoid coffee totally. We recommend no more than one or two cups per day, tops. And did you know that espresso coffee and other deeply roasted kinds have less caffeine than milder versions?

Raw fruits and vegetables:
If you like to snack, nothing competes with slices of raw carrot or tender sticks of celery as filling, low-calorie, low-glycemic, high-fibre treats.