I am trying to cut down on my fat intake but not sure how to do it. I see so many fat-free foods in the grocery store. Should I be buying these foods? Are they healthy?

This is a tricky question and the answer is not straightforward. There are some fat-free foods that I do think are healthy. Dairy foods that have had the fat removed are better for individuals who need to watch their weight because they are lower in calories and saturated fat. Generally speaking, reduced-fat dairy foods have simply had the fat removed with little else added back in. What’s problematic about certain fat-free foods is that they have had the fat removed but have had refined sugars added as well as a number of other food ingredients that are highly processed. This is true for many fat-free snacks such as cookies and cakes. In many cases, these food items have the same amount of calories but with much higher refined sugar content, and I don’t believe such foods to be healthy at all. In my house, we do use 2% milk. Otherwise we don’t buy any reduced-fat food products. We eat whole foods whenever possible. Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains will help you to cut down on overall fat content without adding any processed foods to your diet.