In the quest for better health, more and more people are reading food labels, which contain information on nutritional content, including grams of fat and also calories per serving. If you choose a food that is low fat, does that mean that it will also be low calorie?

Relationship between Fat and Calories

Each different nutrient contains a different caloric amount. For instance, carbohydrates and protein contain about four calories each. Fat contains double that (eight calories) per gram. This means that you will have to burn eight calories to get rid of one gram of fat.

This is one reason why people are drawn in by packaging that states “low fat” or “fat free.” Don’t take for granted, however, that the fat content is the only information you have to worry about. It is important to read all of the information on the label.

The Truth about Calories

Calories per serving means the total caloric content of the ingredients in a food divided by the portion size. Therefore, snacks may be low-calorie because there are fewer calories in a serving size.

Consider those snacks in 100-calorie packaging. The calorie count may be only 100, but if the same ingredients are used in the low-calorie version as in the original product, then the fat content may be the same but you are simply getting less quantity.

Pure sugar has no fat content but plenty of calories. Foods that state fat-free or low-fat may be substituting sugars for the fat. The calorie content will rise with each serving you eat. Excess calories increase fat stores just like eating unhealthy fats.

The Truth about Fats

All fats are not created equal. A serving of walnuts may have ten grams of fat but it is unsaturated fat. They also contain omega-3 fatty acids that help improve heart health and boost immunity.

Eating a chicken sandwich from a fast food restaurant may have lower calories because it is a lean cut of chicken, but frying can add more fat to the equation than you need. You are gaining more saturated fats which we need less of in our daily diets.

So, does low fat mean low calorie? In many cases the answer is no, especially if you eat processed foods. However, by eating fresh foods such as lean meat, fruits and vegetables, you yourself can control the number of calories and grams of fat you consume.

Remember to read food labels carefully so that you know exactly what you are eating, and also whether it has maximum nutritional benefit without containing a lot of fat calories.