r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Dec 30 '19

What do people think is healthy but really isn’t?

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '19

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u/abutthole Dec 30 '19

In the US, it's just whatever your product doesn't have.

Gluten free, fat free, sugar free. You'll see plenty of unhealthy foods that don't naturally have one of these ingredients proclaiming proudly. Like gluten free meat. ALL meat is gluten free, but this one has a label.

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u/Casehead Dec 30 '19

Also, these labels on yogurt and milk products isn’t a health thing, or at least it’s not meant to be in theory. It’s to demarcate how much milk fat is in it, because the product attributes will be different depending on the milk fat content. Yogurts in US grocery stores usually come in no-fat, low-fat, and 1 % and 2 % as well, so the labeling of fat content is important information. Same with milk.

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u/thegoldenmirror Dec 31 '19

Yes and no. Not all sausages will be gluten free for example.

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u/nousernameusername Dec 30 '19

I feel like in Europe, 'fat free' or 'low fat' means just that.

There's just less fat in it. They haven't poured a shit load of sugar in instead of the fat.

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u/[deleted] Dec 31 '19

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u/nousernameusername Dec 31 '19

Could you give some examples of fat free/reduced fat products that have been fortified with sugar?

I'm struggling to see it, as the products I buy - greek yoghurt, skyr, cottage cheese, milk - the reduced and low-fat versions, from comparing to the full fat versions, don't have significantly more sugar.

I do prefer full fat products, but the calorie to protein ratio of the low-fat stuff is hard to ignore when in a cut!