Are Fat-Free and Sugar-Free Sweets Healthy? (2024)

FAQs

Are Fat-Free and Sugar-Free Sweets Healthy? ›

However, sugar-free and fat-free sweets may not be particularly good for you. Sugar-free candies use artificial sweeteners that have fewer calories than regular sugar, but they still have substantial calories. For instance, a regular Oreo contains 54 calories, while a sugar-free Oreo contains 50 calories.

You will enjoy your food, but still lose weight, feel more energetic and improve your cardiac risk factors. So it is a no-brainer – sugar-free is more beneficial than fat–free.

Sugar-free treats are not truly "free" foods, because they may still contain calories, fat, and carbohydrates. Enjoying lower-calorie options in the same portions as you would their sweeter counterparts will help keep you from going overboard.

sorry, but no. Moderation is still important. That said...if you're going to help yourself to a few pieces of sugar-free candy (and def feel free!), just know that you'll want to factor those carbs, grams of fat, and calories into your recommended daily intake.

“Replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners does not help people control their weight long-term,” said Francesco Branca, director of WHO's department of nutrition and food safety. “We did see a mild reduction of body weight in the short term, but it's not going to be sustained.”

Especially when the holiday season is in full swing, many people tend to grab sugar-free and fat-free candies off of the shelves in hopes of being healthy and limiting weight gain. However, sugar-free and fat-free sweets may not be particularly good for you.

If you don't get enough fat in your diet, you may notice symptoms such as dry rashes, hair loss, a weaker immune system, and issues related to vitamin deficiencies. To help maintain good health, most of the fats you eat should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats.

Sugar alcohols are digested very slowly in the intestine and are not fully absorbed into the blood. Therefore, they do not raise blood sugar the same way other carbohydrates do. Due to the slow digestion, they are fermented by the bacteria in the intestine and as a result can cause abdominal gas, bloating and diarrhea.

Stevia and monk fruit are both naturally derived from plants and some people feel they have a flavor very similar to regular sugar. The FDA says these sweeteners are “generally regarded as safe,” which means they are safe to use for their intended purpose.

How much is too much sugar free candy? ›

Sugar-free candy is so delicious that it's tempting to eat piece after piece. However, consuming large quantities of sugar alcohols exacerbates stomach upset due your body's inability to properly absorb it. For example, sorbitol likely causes stomach pain and diarrhea with a 20-gram intake rather than a 10-gram amount.

Cut added sugar and you could lower calories and body weight, which could improve your cholesterol. But it's not just the weight loss. Even at the same weight as others, people who got less than 20% of their calories from added sugars tended to have lower triglycerides.

Desserts are a delicious way to treat yourself. Doing so in moderation can be an effective tool for sustained weight loss and long-term health. However, the key is small portions and focusing on whole food to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Research has shown that switching saturated fat for unsaturated fat – like olive or rapeseed oil, nuts and seeds, or oily fish – can help to improve cholesterol levels. What isn't helpful for your heart health is replacing saturated fat with sugars or other refined carbohydrates (such as white bread, pasta or rice).

Are sugar-free or fat-free creamers safe? Not really. They tend to be made of the same stuff, plus additional chemicals from artificial sweeteners, including maltodextrin, which has been declared safe by the Food and Drug Administration but has also been shown to alter gut bacteria and potentially trigger IBD.

If you're eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, restricting your fat intake isn't generally necessary. However, under some circ*mstances, a diet low in fat may be beneficial to your health. A diet low in fat may: Assist with weight loss due to fewer total calories consumed.

Low-fat diets have been suggested as the key to weight management. However, over the past 30 years, the calories from fat in people's diets have gone down, but obesity rates keep climbing. Evidence suggests that diets high in added sugar promote the development of obesity.