The food industry never tires of presenting us with health claims on their packaging that would convince even the most health-conscious amongst us. As you will see the terms “light”, “fat-free” and “sugar-reduced” don’t necessarily mean what you think they do. I’m opposed to the claims of the “healthier”, whatever-reduced products because there is nothing wrong with their regular counterparts. The problem instead is that we consume too much food in general – and unhealthy foods in particular. But eating or drinking a responsible amount of these items leaves us with a product that is tasty without any tinkering.

Why do people assume that ‘light’ products will help them control their weight?

True, the products do contain less of some kind of substance (see definitions below). But this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are reduced in calories. Consumers still like tasty foods or drinks, so manufacturers use other supplements to make up for the loss in taste. For instance, in fat-reduced products, sugar, carbohydrates (like starches or flour) or salt are usually used as a replacement to make up for the loss in taste. Only if the overall calories are reduced can it be assumed that a product reduces the overall energy intake. This is true if, and only if, we consume the same amount of it as we would if it were the less-healthy version. Our bodies are usually not easily tricked. They usually recognize when they are deprived of the energy they expect to receive and as a result will demand more food more quickly.

Artificial sweeteners

A lot more research is needed on the effects of artificial sweeteners on our bodies as they are still not fully understood. True, these products can help to limit the calories that you consume, but so too do vegetables, fruits and whole-food products in general. It is a good thing to have sugar-free alternatives that contribute to a reduced consumption of sugar. But, from personal experience, talking yourself into eating something sweet or “unhealthy” after having had a sugar-free treat could leave you in a position where your net caloric intake is increased. You already restrained yourself by drinking “only” diet coke, so why not have a piece of cake?

They influence us …

Sugars trigger a drug-like response (dopamine receptors) in our brain that in turn makes us crave more, which artificial sugars might not do – at least not as heavily. However, some research suggests that artificial sweeteners could impact the microbes in our guts so that the digestive system gets confused, which might lead us to put on more unwanted weight in the long run.

… and what to do about it.

In my experience, high sugar consumption also impacts how sweet natural foods taste. After having binged on too much sugar, other foods taste dull. But after restricting my sugar intake for a while, vegetables and fruits tasted more pleasant again. This is not only true for sugar, but also for foods that are high in fat or salt. While artificial sweeteners are an excellent way of controlling your caloric intake, it might still be a good idea to leave out the “comforts” of the industrial age (highly processed foods, sweets and so on), and treat them as they should be: a treat! This goes for both sugar (sucrose) and artificial sugars equally. Doing this will make them more unique. You might even realize that the veil of artificially manufactured products isn’t that special after all because leaving them out means that the body gets used to natural tastes again, which in my opinion is the real culinary treat.

Regulated health claims

Health claims on packaging have been strictly regulated by the EU since 2006. Here are some regulatory examples to shed some light on what they mean:

Light

This claim just means that the product contains reduced quantities of some/one of the ingredients. It is not necessarily healthier – instead, it contains 30 percent less of the specified substance than its non-light counterpart. This might be sugar or fat, but can also be alcohol or caffeine.

[Substance]-reduced

The claim “reduced” relates to the same regulation as light/lite.

[Substance]-free,

means that there is a very low amount of the mentioned substance, but it can still contain traces of it. A prominent example is alcohol-free beer. In German-speaking countries, the alcohol content has to be 0.5 percent or less in such products. The EU only has a labeling threshold from 1.2 percent alcohol.

Further resources

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17668074 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-artificial-sweeteners-may-cause-us-to-eat-more/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/artificial-sweeteners-confound-the-brain/ https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-sugar-addictive-drug