Full Fat, Low Fat, or Non Fat?

Over at Blogher, there's an interesting discussion going on.  Alanna asks, if you are trying to cut your calories, which option do you choose?  The Full Fat version of products, eating less?  The Non Fat version, so you can feel virtuous and eat as you did before you began to diet?  Or is it Low Fat all the way for you?

For me, it varies.  Most of the time, I choose the full fat version.  I use butter in my house - occasionally, I'll buy a tub of Spreadable stuff, but I'm not in the habit of that.  I don't cook with and try to avoid eating Splenda, Nutrasweet and the like.  Except for my protein powder - I can't seem to find one that doesnt have that stuff in it. 

I do buy some lower fat stuff, though.  I always buy low fat sour cream and cream cheese, and my coffee every day has the low fat Land o Lakes half and half.  We use 1% milk.  I never thought I'd say that, but we began with whole, stepped down to 2% and now 1%.  I don't care for skim milk - it has a weak mouth feel.  My brother in law uses 1/2%, but it's hard to find. We don't eat much mayonnaise - maybe once every six months - but that's the low fat version as well. 

What about cheese?  I've never found a fat free version of any of it that's worhtwhile, but the Kraft 2% cheddar is pretty good.  Most of the time, I get the regular stuff, but looking at the labels, I see that the mozzarella I buy says part skim. 

What about you?  What choices do you make for your family?

Comments

[Amy]

I'm totally a 'smaller portion size' but full-fat food person. I'd rather have all the flavor and a little less to eat.

[Michelle Z.]

I'm like you. There are some things that I just don't want the non-fat version of. I'd rather treat myself once or twice a month with something really decadent (and full fat) than eat some watered down, low or non-fat version of it. Sweets mostly are coming to mind right now, because I'm PMSing.

Plus, I just think that if I allow the low or non fat version of things in the house, it opens a door that I don't want opened. I'd rather my kids not develop a taste for that stuff, either.

Another factor is the chemicals and preservatives found in so much of those products.

Most of the reduced fat things we do buy are the same things that were on your list: milk (1%), sour cream, cheese. Do leaner cuts of meat count?

[Anna]

That's an excellent question! We prefer skim milk. I buy full fat cheese, but I like the spreadable butter. I can't find the balance between butter (calories!) and margarine (gross!).

In general I avoid those 'diet' foods. I'd rather build a lifestyle around real food than be limited to diet food forever. Does that make sense? I can have a bag of 100 calories oreo-like things, or three REAL oreos. I'm going for the real ones. (I haven't actually looked at oreos specifically, but you get the point.)

[Charming Bitch]

I would much rather have less of the real deal (full fat unabridged) than something that I have to convince myself is, ''just as good, no really''.

[Headless Mom]

It depends on the product. I try to balance the crap with the good. Milk-skim for most of us (whole for the one boy that needs to gain ten or so,), butter, not the fake stuff, real 1/2 and 1/2, low-fat, low-cal salad dressing (usually some type of vinaigrette). I never buy 100 cal. packs of anything, cookies, etc. I buy goldfish for the kids, but that stuff I can resist.

[kyoot]

I buy a little of everything. I don't buy Butter, it's like 3 times the price of margerine and we try to not use the margerine much. I buy splenda, I was using it in my coffee, but coffee and I have split up, I was using it in my tea but now I've moved to sugar. There is no such thing at FAT free cheeses up here from what I've seen, only lower fat/light versions. Baking is where I'll change it up a bit here and there, I'll use applesauce vs margerine/butter or I'll use eggwhites for some of my eggs, and I'll used 1/2 splenda if it's something I just can't resist. If I'm feeding the kids I avoid the splenda for them. Yogarts are my hardest thing to find with less fluff and more flavour.

[lc]

I use products that are low fat AND full fat, it depends.

The one thing I did want to mention to you is that you can buy a carton of non-fat milk and one of 1% milk, and mix them! You can end up with two cartons of almost but not quite skim!

[Megan]

Like you, I buy reduced-fat cheeses and sour cream, and lowfat milk. I buy butter because some of the spreads don't work so well for cooking, plus I'm scared of what's in them. I buy full-fat half n half, because my boyfriend grumbles otherwise and I figure what the heck, it's only a tablespoon a day. If I could find lowfat I'd try it, but all I've seen is nonfat. I also refuse to drink diet soda or the "skinny" Starbucks drinks. That artificial sweetener tastes horrible to me, so I'd prefer to limit full-calorie Starbucks and sodas to occasional treats.

[Sabz]

I have a hard time with portion control, so I do buy the 100 cal packs. We use reg 1/2 & 1/2 with tea but 2% milk. Butter for the baking but I don't bake much so it's an occasional indulgence.

The more I read about healthy lifestyle, and talking to elders particularly, I feel it's better to use real but eat less of it. My father-in-law is an example of moderation. He never eats artificial stuff except splenda for his tea. And he is an active and vibrant almost 70 year old.

[Karell]

I try to go for the full fat/caloric stuff (in cases in which I deem them "more natural" albeit not necessarily healthy) when it comes to butter vs margarine and stuff like splenda. I definitely have no problem with skim milk, part-skim cheeses, or substituting avocado for butter or applesauce for oil when cooking, but I don't like to replace a known "evil" (calories! horrors!) with an unknown (chemicals my body may have difficulty processing).
This doesn't go for all chemicals- I've taken my fair share of chemistry classes and I can discern between fancy names for common ingredients, like minerals or amino acids, and ingredients I don't consider necessary for the body (dyes, some coagulants, a lot of those -oses).
Anyway, I had a question. For breakfast I try to have some protein and a complex carb. Toast and peanut butter, oatmeal and nuts, an omelet. If I'm still hungry I'll eat fruit (fiber! woo!). My question is, do you recommend any cereals? Preferably whole grain, and with some protein? Or something else, I don't know, you know more about this than I do.

[Marisa (trim the fat)]

I love the 2% cheese also. I have found a 75% reduced fat cheddar that I like and my family will eat, too. I really dislike all things fat-free with the exception of milk!

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[christian louboutin]

I love the 2% cheese also. I have found a 75% reduced fat cheddar that I like and my family will eat, too. I really dislike all things fat-free with the exception of milk!