Welcome back!
Hidden fats, along with processed sugar and flour, are the major culprits in America’s battle with obesity.
In a recent post, “Sex, Lies, and Fat-Free Ice Cream,” I showed you how food manufacturers are able to legally hide fats and sugars in supposed low-fat and non-fat foods.
However, I feel that is imperative that you know exactly what these hidden fats are and exactly how they are hidden in the foods that you buy for youself and your loved ones.
BEWARE THE HIDDEN FATS
The fat that we are most familiar with is the triglyceride, which has 9 calories per gram. This is the only fat that the FDA requires food manufacturers to report, in fat grams, on food labels. However, there are also other forms of hidden fats that you will see listed on ingredients lists. These fats are monoglycerides, diglycerides, and soy lecithin. There are more, but these are the most common.
Let me break it down for you:
A triglyceride is a glycerol molecule with three fatty acids attached.
A diglyceride is a glycerol molecule with two fatty acids attached.
A monoglyceride is a glycerol molecule with one fatty acid attached.
Mono and diglycerides are fats just like triglycerides and also have 9 calories per gram. Also, mono and diglycerides are treated by the body in the same way as triglycerides. However, due to an FDA loophole these other fats do not have to be included on the nutrient facts section of food labels.
Soy lecithin is a highly processed emulsifier that holds the “other” fats together. Soy lecithin itself is a fat which also has 9 calories per gram. This fat does not have to be included on the nutrient facts section of food labels either.
Let me make this perfectly clear: The nutrient facts section of a food label is the place where grams of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients are listed. Food manufacturers do not have to list the fat grams on their label that come from monoglycerides, diglycerides, and soy lecithin; they are only required to list the fat grams from the triglycerides. However, food manufacturers are required to list these hidden fats in their ingredients list.
Note: Many of the so called low fat and non fat products on grocery store shelves will contain these hidden fats in their ingredients. This is one of the reasons low fat diets do not work.
But don’t take my word for it. Let’s take a look at the ingredients list from our previous post of Skinny Cow Ice Cream.
Skinny Cow Ingredients List:
skim milk, wafer (bleached wheat flour, sugar, caramel color, dextrose, palm oil, corn flour, cocoa, high fructose corn syrup, modified corn starch, baking soda, salt, mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin), sugar, corn syrup, polydextrose, cream, whey protein, inulin, stabilizer (microcrystalline cellulose, cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides, locust bean gum, calcium sulfate, polysorbate 80, carageenan), natural flavor, vitamin A palmitate.
As you can see, Skinny Cow ice cream not only contains these hidden fats, but they are listed more than once on its ingredients list. Isn’t that a shame?!!
I hope that you are now starting to understand that the FDA and the big corporations do not have your best interests at heart. You have to take your health and fitness into your own hands. Study and put into use the principles in Better Living With Whole Foods for your own health and the health of the ones that you love.
Let me know your thoughts on this subject.
I’d love to hear what you have to say. 
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Fat, fat, fat everywhere! Worse when they are hidden. I thought this was a very valuable post and I am making notes. The best way to lose weight, though, in my opinion, is try to watch the fats (even when they’re hidding on you), but alway count calories. Fats may hide, but calories can not.
peace,
mike
livelife365
I am so glad that you spelled these out for me! I really try to be healthy but I find it is like a puzzle most of the time and you really have to watch everything. I really enjoy how much I learn from your blog.
This is an excellent post and I hope many people read it. So called low fat products are usually loaded with sugar among other things, and you’re right about why low fat diets fail. Skim milk for example has sugar added to make it taste better. You’re much better off with whole milk and the whole real foods we were intended to eat.
This is really informative. Thank you.
You’re definitely right the the FDA doesn’t have our best interest at heart. I’m not surprised the food manufacturers don’t, but it’s disappointing that the government agencies that are supposed to serve us don’t do their job. If you want to be healthy and stay that way, you need to take control of your own health choices.