Fat Substitutes Make You Fat [Research to Make You Go Doh!]

“Wasabi Chips: Wakes you up with every bite!” Or turns you into a self-cannibalizing zombie. Whatevs.

On some level your body just knows when something is artificial. It’s why we all have had such a negative gut reaction to Hugh Heffner marrying then not-marrying then replacing that random blond he was “engaged” to for publicity purposes. So we shouldn’t be surprised that the latest food research out this week has discovered that eating fake fats will actually make you fatter than if you’d just eaten the full-fat version in the first place. Researchers, having the best job ever, fed mice Pringles chips every day. Although I have to say the researchers have dubious taste -Pringles are to potato chips what donettes are to pastry. I mean they’re okay I guess but why eat a cardboard Pringle when you can have a crispity crunchy kettle chip? Or my personal fave – Terra Chips?? Maybe they were saving the good chips for the office party and feeding the mice the icky chips? ANYHOW.

Half the mice were on a low-fat diet and half the mice were on a high-fat diet. Each group was divided into halves again (mouse math! I feel a children’s book.) with half of each group remaining as a control eating regular fatty potato chips and the other half of each group eating Olestra-fied Lite Pringles. Even mice it turns out, react badly to artificial foods (the research is still out on how they react to Hugh Heffner). The mice on the high-fat diet that ate the Lite chips gained more weight than the mice that ate the regular chips. Even worse? Once the chips were taken away, the olestra-mice still couldn’t lose the extra weight while the other mice dropped their pounds quickly. The fake fat not only did not keep them from getting fat – and no mention was made of olestra’s other famous side effect but perhaps the mice wore adorable little diapers? – it screwed up their metabolism making them retain extra fat even after they stopped eating it.

That sound? A million dieters smacking their heads on the table. I feel their pain. While I no longer fear the fat and eat full-fat products all the time and eschew anything “lite”, I do have my own artificial vice: sweetener. I don’t do soda but occasionally I do like sugar-free maple syrup on my protein pancakes or a packet of Propel sprinkled in my water bottle. (I’m kind of really freaked out about sugar right now – more on that in a future post – so thank you to whichever one of you it was that recommended Sugar Blues to me; I’ve had nightmares ever since I read it!) Reading this research made me wonder who I think I’m fooling. My body is super smart – all of our bodies are miraculous machines – and I’m sure that it knows that I’m trying to psych it out. In the short-term I’ve noticed I bloat up like a balloon after I drink it in any quantity. In the long-term… who knows? My weight has yo-yo’ed so much over the years I’m hardly a good test subject. (And my blog is the the Great Fitness EXPERIMENT…  huh.) So basically I know on an intellectual level that fake foods are bad but in practice? I still have that fake-sugar crutch.

How do you feel about fake foods? Does this research surprise you? What’s your favorite kind of chip?

39 Comments

  1. This doesn’t surprise me much, as I’ve eaten diet foods my whole life and I am still chubby! Also, I’ve always wondered about preservatives in foods. . . because wouldn’t they then help “preserve” the fat/calories in my body? LOL! Yeah, that may be total nutty talk, but I have to wonder.

    Does Stevia fall into that cateogry? Stevia is my newest favorite dieter find. Yeah, I know, it should be a lifestyle, but you get it!

    Oh and chips? I love kettle chips, too!

  2. I love the Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips. They are a rare treat, because I can’t stick to those portion sizes. I also love ketchup flavour chips, but Kettle Chips have no ketchup flavour option, so…I stick to Salt and Vinegar. The ketchup ones are always insanely processed, even if the best flavour.

    I’m super pro-unprocessed food. I always aim for the most whole version possible. This research is not surprising to me, and seems very intuitive. I have a few processed food favourites- in particular, I do still love goldfishes. Those things are amazing, and so insanely salty. Totally irresistible. I also love the PC Decadent chocolate chip cookies- they are infinitely better than Chips Ahoy. They have coconut in them. Thank god they’re not sold at the grocery store near me.

    I cannot even fathom sugar-free maple syrup. I love that stuff. If I could drink it straight for breakfast without feeling sick, I totally would. I bring my own little bottle of maple syrup for the Stampede pancake breakfasts, the idea of Aunt Jemima is so not okay with me. I don’t even like pancakes, I just like them as a vehicle for maple syrup to get to my tastebuds.

    Canada doesn’t do ‘olestra’. It’s banned. I’ve never heard of it, nor it’s side effects, so I looked it up. We’ve also all but banned added trans-fats. Don’t worry, we have a variety of other food items that are slowly killing us, olestra and trans-fat are just not included.

  3. I’m definitely anti-artificial food. It always amazes me that researchers spend so much time and money figuring out things that seem like common sense. Is it really needed to do a clinical trial to determine that naturally occurring foods are healthier for the body than ones concocted in labs during the last 50 years?

    Of course, scientists really can manipulate mice studies with any number of variables, so I tend to take most of them with a grain of salt.

    For me, with the exception of the occasional treat, I stick to foods that naturally occur without lab intervention. I do enjoy the occasional homemade kettle chip though, fried in tallow of course 🙂

  4. Oh man I loooooove Pringles. I can’t remember the last time I ate them, though.
    While I generally avoid fake foods whenever possible, I am surprised at this research. Mostly because, well, didn’t they test olestra a bunch before making foods with it? Didn’t they already know (or at least think) it helped people not gain weight? How interesting that once they test the foods they found the opposite to be true.

  5. Anything artificial has side effects. A few years ago I did gave olestra chips a try ( lays kind ), it tasted like regular chips, but I got a stomach ache and never ate them again. I do love kettle chips better.
    I kind of feel bad for Hefner, because his ex girlfriend Krystal was a such a gold digger. He should of married Holly, I don’t know what he was thinking or with what he was thinking, but definitely bad decision making on his part.

  6. Anything that is highly processed from sugar substitutes to fat subs is just not going to be good for a person, long term. I mean, we can tell ourselves it wont matter, but in the end, it probably will. Eat like our ancestors did, real food, food that is recognizable in nature, put down the pringles and the splenda and the fat free this or that or the reduced sodium such and such…if it needs to be reduced or fat free’ed in some way, it’s probably not the best for us in the first place.

    OR, just eat the real thing. Enjoy it. Relish in it. And then move on! 🙂 I did a post on “healthifying desserts” and why i refuse to do that. I eat the real thing, and then, when it’s done, it’s done. No guilt, no shame, just enjoy the moment and the food at hand.

  7. I, like you, have a few vices I won’t give up. I need some stevia in my coffee and take some crystal light or something in my water, but otherwise I avoid processed foods. It’s funny because my coworker went out for ice cream over lunch yesterday and said she was going to get vanilla because it was the only fat free flavor but they were out (so she got the real thing). I told her that fat free ice cream is just loaded with sugar so you might as well enjoy the real thing anyway if you’re going to eat it 🙂 HAH

  8. I have found that eating the original full fat-sugar version of anything makes me more satisfied. For example, I used to eat 2 diet yogurts instead of one original, which is a decision leading to extra calories. The diet foods just don’t taste that good and a person needs extra helpings to console themselves about the lack of flavor, consistency, etc…

    🙂 Marion

  9. What I find most interesting is that the low-fat mice could eat either chip type without gaining weight. Yet another study that indicates eating a low fat (and low calorie – they don’t say it explicitly but the lowfat mouse kibble has fewer overall calories) diet is better overall for not gaining weight. News at eleven!

    Fake fats scare me. Lipid metabolism is tied with hormone production. I don’t trust monkeying around with that. Fake sugar? Unprocessed by the body. Much less scary (although I am certain you can find studies that show they are evil).

  10. This is really interesting. I try to eat as whole as possible and avoid processed foods.

  11. I have a bad reaction to aspartame it makes me feel like I have bugs crawling around in my head. The phrase “anal seepage” is enough to convince me to not ever try fake fats. I just try to enjoy my full fat stuff in moderation and avoid sugar as much as possible.

  12. I never liked the idea of these franken fats when they were first proposed! Now we know, it’s not nice to try and fool mother nature!

  13. Strangely enough, potato chips, in decades past one of my Favourite Foods Ever, just don’t do it for me any more. The last few times I’ve had them I’ve found there’s some funny aftertaste which I really don’t like, no matter what brand. I don’t know what it is – perhaps the more crappy modern vegetable oils they use in the manufacturing process, the less I like the taste (bring back good old-fashioned tallow, I say!!).

    And I’ve never liked kettle chips of any brand – they’re just like super-hard cardboard to me. I always preferred a lighter or (sorry to offend, Charlotte) manufactured “chip” like Bahlsen Chipsletten (kind of a superior European version of Pringles), to which I became dangerously addicted when backpacking there. Thank God we don’t have them here in Australia.

    BTW, thank you for the mental image of mouseys wearing adorable little diapers!

  14. I have a couple of reduced fat cheeses I don’t hate and I drink nonfat milk, but I don’t “do” the fake fats. It’s not out of any huge bit of moral fiber on my part; more that the thought of fake fat freaks me out.

    Fake sugar doesn’t do the same thing, sadly. My lone remaining vice is Diet Coke and they will pry that can out of my cold, dead fingers. I’ll also dump a little Splenda or Equal into my coffee on occasion, and have been known to bake with Splenda blends. Overall I stick with more natural foods, but I can’t claim 100% by any means.

    Favorite chip: Dirty Potato Chips Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper flavor. Made of awesome.

  15. Yeah, not that surprised. If I learned anything from the whole transfatty acid debacle it’s that fake food does not fake out your body. Really, humans are evolved to be able to digest natural foods. When we put fake foods in our body, our body doesn’t know what to do with it.

    When it comes to substitutes I wonder about stevia. I stay away from the chemical stuff, but I do use stevia daily in Pero and herbal tea.

    Also, it’s 7:30 a.m., I’m fresh off a run, and now all I want are some salt and vinegar chips. That’s a breakfast choice of champions for sure.

  16. mmmmm Salt and Vinegar…

    I eat the full leaded version and find that I can control my portions quite easily compared to when I eat low fat / fat free / fake whatever. But for the most part, the food choices I make are unprocessed and as whole as possible. I use a system called GM/MM. God Made for 3 days and Man Made for 1 day (if I feel like it…) Knowing that if I WANT a pizza, I can have one on my next MM day helps me, and most of the time, by MM day I don’t even really want it anymore.

    Oh the games we play.

  17. I’ve tried the fake fat chips and didn’t like them. I am not at all on board with reduced fat food or light versions. I try to stick to not eating too much of the full fat/real fat versions, with varying amounts of success. 🙂

    I love Pop Chips. Thanks for introducing me to them via your blog. That is both sincere and sarcastic, since I’m glad to have found them, but cannot stop eating them once the bag is open.

  18. JourneyBeyondSurvival

    I’ve long thought this. It kinda explains why all the kids in my family are chubbier than my parents even though we are stricter in our diet than they were. Margarine, shortening, etc.

    My mother thought she was doing the healthy thing for our family. Because she listened to research. She is still upset when it is suggested that she listened too soon. She refuses to switch back.

    Even though she never did lo-fat, She did think it was ‘healthier’ and would ‘lower our cholesterol’. I now use butter, skim milk and full fat yogurt. I just use it moderately.

  19. -typing with a mouthful of Cheeze-its-

    … I just can’t let go of some fake foods. 😀 Speaking of, does anyone know a good recipe for making your own cheeze-its?

    Seriously though, I’m with anyone who said they have no problem just going for the fatty food from time to time. Your body craves certain things for a reason, so just eating it isn’t going to harm it, as long as you do it in moderation and not 5x a day every day.

    Blue corn chips are the best, baby.

  20. I’m with those who say don’t touch the fake stuff. I won’t drink diet soda, eat fake sugar, etc. I think all that stuff REALLY messes up you up in the long run and I’m really not that surprised that a survey validated it.

    Besides, I believe that gaining weight is your body’s sign that you’re not eating appropriately. Rather than try to find ways to trick your body by eating processed foods, how about listening to it and switching to fruits/veggies/water/lean meat/whole grains/etc? Dieting isn’t supposed to be easy and all about finding a way to eat dozens of candy bars without gaining weight; it’s supposed to be about finding a healthier lifestyle.

  21. Is it wrong that my biggest reaction to this post is to wonder about sugar free maple syrup? I LOVE maple syrup, couldn’t imagine eating fake stuff!

    As others mentioned, the fake fat isn’t allowed in Canada, but my favorite chip alternative are Pop chips. Otherwise, it’s Old Dutch Creamy Dill. Very yummy!

  22. Personally, I loved Baked Lays. Allegedly, they’re “healthier” but you raise a great point – in today’s grocery stores A LOT of foods claim to be healthy and “organic” when in actuality they are the complete opposite. This research doesn’t surprise me, but it certainly is an eye-opener! Will the manipulation in the food industry ever end? This is such an interesting read, Charlotte! Thanks for sharing!

  23. Honey dijon kettle chips. Those things are to die for. Also, Trader Joe’s sweet potato chips. As for fake sugars/fats, I’ve been trying to cut them out more and more. I still drink diet soda and occasionally use Splenda in tea but I’m okay with that. I’ve moved up to 2% yogurt from fat-free and regular ice cream (so much better and more satisfying than the light stuff!) I’d like to get up to full fat yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, etc but it’s taking some time.

  24. Oh, the honey dijon kettle chips…yum!!!! Or their krinkle cut chips.
    I’ve also cut out the “lite” stuff, but I’m afraid I have an addiction to Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea. It’s sooooooo bad for me, I know, but I love it so!

  25. I still have a little bit of a splenda addiction, but I try to use it as little as possible. I just need it for my coffee! I feel OK about Stevia though. From what I’ve read, its probably the best as far as calorie-free sweeteners go, and helps to regulate blood sugar. The taste just isn’t very good in a lot of things. I can have it in tea, but doesn’t taste so good in coffee. What do you think about Stevia? My weight has gone down since I stopped being afraid of healthy fats 🙂 Also my taste buds are happier!

  26. Yay. ways figured it was kind of like that, but it’s good to see it. Except for a diet coke addiction I’ve developed during my grad studies I try and eat normal stuff. To me, I’d rather have less of the real stuff. I struggle with using sweetner occasionally, but I’m glad my husband reminds me of it. At my comment reading the pancake syrup label saying “man! it’s all sugar! Should I get the sugar free stuff?” He jsut stared and said “It’s SYRUP. Syrup is sugar. If you want syrup use it. Why put chemicals on your breakfast?” I love than man…

  27. I’ve given up the fake sugar stuff pretty much cold, uh, splenda, and I find I don’t miss it much (though – GUM… I’ve had to special order gum without artificial sweetener. Most gums have 5 calories. This has 6. Makes NO sense why they wouldn’t use sugar…).

    Fake fat though… I looooove it. I don’t LIKE butter. I don’t LIKE fatty meat. I don’t really LIKE a lot of the healthy fats like avocado, oils, etc. I’m working on it, and I never don’t eat anything due to the fat content (overall calories, yes, fat, no – I rarely go over what I should so I don’t bother).

  28. I love stevia. Stevia laced coffee makes me beyond happy every morning, but I know it only exacerbates my cravings for sweet. Stinks.

    I’ve only read excerpts of Sugar Blues, but yes, very scary.

    I love real maple syrup, but I also LOVE Walden Farms sugar free version.

    Garden of Eatin blue tortilla chips.

  29. Where do you get your crazy pics! 😉

    I eat mostly whole foods & not the “lite” version of things but I do use Splenda & stevia. I know some things I have do have the Spenda or something like it in it but in general, I think I do pretty good & I am not one to want every little thing to be perfect. I do the best I can & am not going to make my life miserable cutting out all things…. I eat mostly good & hope that is enough.

  30. I do not like fake food, with the exception of the occasional cool whip use. My favorite chips are ruffles, especially if I am making home made carmelized onion dip.

    Sugar however, is a major addiction.

  31. What’s funny – and I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel this way/realize this – but once you start eating what sounds good, when it sounds good, and eating more whole foods like fruit and what not, the fake fat crap just tastes wrong and makes you feel more bloated and sick! This is one of those scientific DUH! moments where you wonder how and why people believed that fake fat could be healthy in the first place. What synthetic food is healthy!? And this is why Americas are overweight and unhealthy. There’s no common sense.

  32. I have LONG said that eating junk food made of real ingredients is better than eating junk food made of things you can’t pronounce. It just makes sense – even if it’s not the best thing for you, at least your body knows how to digest it. The way a lot of artificial sweeteners work is by binding sugar to things your body doesn’t know how to digest, in theory meaning it passes through your body without being broken down or digested. I could see it also meaning things get stored in your body without getting broken down either. Just doesn’t seem like a great idea.

  33. Oh, oh, Charlotte.

    Sugar substitutes are hell on the gut.

    I can’t even go *near* a Diet Coke without bloating for hours.

    Is a sugar substitute a good method of sticking to your Intuitive Eating,
    which (thus far!) has worked wonders for you?

    (Pardon me.
    I just totally had a mom moment there.)

    🙁

    • Short answer: You are totally right
      Long answer: There’s a big ol’ post about this going up when I get home from vacay!

  34. I used to buy and eat the olestra chips and loved them. I have an iron gut and I’d have to eat a plate glass window in order to maybe think about getting a tummy ache. But it doesn’t surprise me about the body responding in this way (at least according to this one study, which I haven’t seen yet)…I do use low fat cheeses and milks and nonfat yogurts and I’m stevia’s number one bitch. I’m sure that will also come back to haunt me. But I do the best that I can.

    Hope you’re having a fun vacation!

  35. Fascinating and it doesn’t surprise me a bit. I don’t eat a lot of fake foods but every once in a while I’ll have myself some Cheetos or something. 😉

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