The magazine indicates that many of these food products are certainly “light” but not necessarily healthier.
The January issue of the magazine What to choose looks at the lighter versions of many everyday food products.
We know, a consumption too much sugar is associated with an additional risk of overweight or obesity, diabetes, heart disease or diseases inflammatory. But regarding low fat products, “Beware of traps”warns the magazine which has analyzed a hundred of them.
Light products: Less sugar, but fat
In order to compensate for a lower quantity of sugars, fats can be added. Example ? The Karéléa sugar-free chocolate bar from Léa Nature, made up of 47% more fat than the Lindt dark version with a fleur de sel tip.
Another example is La Boulangère organic sandwich bread “without added sugar”, but with 121% more fat than a similar reference marketed at Casino. What to choose specifies that the reference “contains almost as much lipids as a chocolate Liègeois”.
Salt and additives
The authors of the survey add that “Replacing 35g of organic Amora (mayonnaise) with 35g of Jardin Bio Etic saves 0.5% of the maximum recommended sugars each day… But adds 3% of the recommended salt thresholds”. With term, a risk of high blood pressure among others.
And the additives are not left out: sucralose, acesulfame K or aspartame are “suspected of deleterious effects on health, in particular through a disturbance of the intestinal flora“. They are found in particular in Light and Free yoghurts, zero peach iced tea from Auchan.
Sugar doesn’t go away
And the mention “no added sugar” does not necessarily have to mean that it disappears. It is present naturally in the composition of the products.
On the other hand, What to choose praise some products. Among them are the light jams Andros, Bonne Maman Intense or the Pom’potes, Carrefour Bio, Charles & Alice compotes, which include more fruit.