Can something have sugar and still be fat-free?

Question

My friend and I were having a discussion over the label on Jelly Belly jelly beans. the label says that each serving has 4 calories and fat-free. My friend was popping them in like they wouldn't be fattening, but I say it's still fattening because of the sugar, and the "fat-free" refers to something else entirely. if something is sugary and fat free, isn't sugar in itself fattening?

and am i right when i say fat free refers to materials put in to foods as opposed to being completely unfattening?

Answer 1

Yes, but not calorie free.

Of course the sugar will have calories. If he does not expend those calories they will be stored in his body and increase his fat cells.

Answer 2

Both terms are very important. The key is to look at what you're eating. If it is a food that is normally sugary (jello, Popsicles, etc) you'll want sugar free because those foods are already fat free. However, in terms of dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) fat free is a huge benefit because if they are fat free, they will be low on calories as well. What you should be aiming for is to eat foods that are low in calories and fat. Sugar usually means a lot of calories, so sugar free is a plus. However, fat free is ideal because of how much healthier these foods usually are.

Answer 3

Fat and sugar are two different things. A fat-free food still can have calories from sugar and will put weight on you if you eat enough of it. Fats can be bad for the body in terms of heart disease, where sugar can lead to diabetes. Neither is a good thing in excess, although we need both in moderation for good nutrition. Fat can come from natural sources, as can sugar.
Both can be added to foods, too.

Answer 4

Fat refers to fats, not sugars. Fats are things like oil, butter, lard, grease, shortening, and that sort of thing.

Chocolate is fat free, but it is fattening.

Fat free means that it contains no fats. It does NOT mean that it is not something that will make you fatter - in other words, something that is fattening.

Yes, sugar is fattening.

Fat free doesn't necessarily refer to food additives. For example, bacon doesn't have added fat, but it sure isn't fat free. Many foods are naturally fat free, such as chocolate, celery, etc. Many are intentionally fat free, such as Jelly Belly jellybeans.

One thing you can pretty much count on, though. If it tastes really really really good?

It's probably fattening, whether or not it is fat free.

Answer 5

sugar is a type of carbohydrate. fat is a fat. nutrition labels categorize all of the calories in the product under either carbohydrate, fat, or protein. carbs and protein contribute 4 calories per gram and fats contribute 9 calories per gram. it is very possible for something to be fat free but contain massive amounts of sugar, which, if not used, will be stored as fat. the label "fat free" can be misleading. it is very important to also make sure the product is sugar free.

Answer 6

Most of the calories we ingest come in one of three forms: fat, protein and carbohydrates. Fat is fat, obviously, while sugar, sucrose, glucose, etc, are all carbs.

Fat free food can have lots of sugar. In fact, if you check something like fat free ice cream, you'll likely find that while it has less fat, is has more carbs! (Gotta get that smoothness somehow, and carbs come in so many different forms they can be used to do stuf like that.)

A high fat diet is not required to gain weight. If a person regularly eats more calories then (s)he burns, the excess will be converted to fat (to a varying degree, depends a lot on age and genetics).

It doesn't matter what form those excess calories came in, the body converts it to fat because this is the most efficient way for your body to store reserve fuel.

Answer 7

The label lists protein, fats and carbohydrates. Sugars are carbohydrates.

Fat free means the food contains no fat.

I can get fat by eating more calories than I burn, whether those calories came from protein, fat or carbohydrate.

Fat free products often have more sugars and sugar free products often have more fats.

Answer 8

Yes, something can have sugar and still be fat-free. Frozen yogurt (Edy's or Turkey Hill) is a good example. Of course, sugar adds calories and carbs, but the item is still considered to be fat free if it has sugar and no fat.

Answer 9

anything with sugar has calories, and too many are fattening. The package should tell you how many calories are in them
It can still be fat free

Answer 10

Yes you are. Sugar and fat both have a caloric value. If you ate a bag of sugar, you could still gain weight, event though there is no fat in it.