“Light”, “low fat”, “Balance” or “less sweet”: With such and similar terms, the food industry is trying to lure the figure conscious. Feast without repentance, the promise is. But it is not.
“It starts with the fact that some terms are not at all protected,” says nutritional medicine Thomas Ellrott, head of the Institute for nutrition psychology at the Georg-August-University of Göttingen.
In certain cases, the consumption of Light, can make products from Ellrotts the point of view of sense. Particularly reduced-fat products may help you lose weight, since she says less calories and often more protein than the normal product contained, the nutrition physician.
In addition, the products can entice buyers but also to eat more or more often – because it is “light”. “Who wants to change his diet in the long term, the Light products are of little help,” says Yvonne Knips by the Verbraucherzentrale NRW.
Raisins: Full of sugar, but “no added sugar”
Moreover, labels like “reduced sugar” are often inadequate to detect low-calorie products. Reduced-sugar biscuits, for example, used instead of sugar, mostly starch or fat, providing as many or even more calories. “You can be the case a real Calories,” warns Ellrott.
In cereals “without added sugar”, however, to insert raisins, for a sweet taste. The dry fruit is made up of around 60 per cent of sugar, calories can be so in case of doubt, not save. “In any case, a glance at the nutritional information is worth,” says snap.
In addition, it can help to know what hides behind the Light-labels – not always because the terms, what the consumer including keep:
“Balance”: The term gives the impression that the food about fat – or calorie-reduced. In fact, however, the information is not legally regulated. Manufacturers can print on the packs, without having to meet any specifications.
“Low fat”: This term is permissible only if a product has less than 3 grams of fat per 100 grams, or less than 1.5 grams of fat per 100 milliliters contains. A limit of 0.5 grams of fat per 100 grams or milliliters of food are considered to be “fat-free” or “without fat”.
“Light” or “light”: Here the energy or fat content compared to the normal product of 30 percent can be reduced. In addition, a note must identify what makes the food “light” – for example, “30 percent less fat”.
“Reduced sugar”: This designation applies to if a food is not more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams, or not more than 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters of contains. From 0.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams or 100 milliliters of food may not be as “sugar-free” marked.
“No sugar added”: This specification requires that the food no sugar added. An ingredient of natural sugar, such as fruits, this must be stated on the label.
“Less sweet”: This is just a taste description. “It is not a guarantee that the food contains less sugar than comparable products,” says snap. Is possible, for example, that the product only contains type of sugar for a less sweet-tasting, such as grape sugar instead of fruit sugar.
An Alternative to Light-products: feeling for the own body
All of you, who want to lose weight, experts advise to find the best the own measurement with normal foods. Often it is sufficient to eat only when you are really hungry. “On the dining plan, fresh ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, salad, yoghurt and Quark belong to,” says Ellrott.
In addition, it is also on the individual preferences. “If one of my clients tells that he will eat very few sweet foods, but on a small glass of coke a day would not give, then that’s fine,” says Margret Morlo by the Association for nutrition and dietetics (VFED).
Of the overweight client, however, drinking every evening, a Liter of sugared Cola, you should consider switching to another drink. The Light variant is the best Alternative. It helps to save sugar. But: The substances, which replace the sugar used to Sweet. “The appetite for Sweets is so excited,” said Knips.