Diet food

{{Short description|Type of food for weight alteration}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2008}} [[File:Penne with eggplant and basil in yogurt-tomato sauce.jpg|thumb|Penne with eggplant and basil in yogurt-tomato sauce. Dish is a part of cookbook for women with Gestational diabetes.]] [[File:New KM.jpg|thumb|right|A "low fat" child's meal from Burger King, with "apple fries" replacing fried potato chips, and a serving of macaroni and cheese as its main dish]] '''Diet food''' (or '''dietetic food''') refers to any food or beverage whose recipe is altered to reduce fat, carbohydrates, and/or sugar in order to make it part of a weight loss program or diet. Such foods are usually intended to assist in weight loss or a change in body type, although bodybuilding supplements are designed to increase weight.

==Terminology== In addition to ''diet'' other words or phrases are used to identify and describe these foods including ''light'', ''zero calorie'', ''low calorie'', ''low fat'', ''no fat'' and ''sugar free''. In some areas use of these terms may be regulated by law. For example, in the U.S. a product labeled as "low fat" must not contain more than 3 grams of fat per serving; and to be labeled "fat free" it must contain less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.<ref>[https://www.thenutritionalsource.com/definitions-of-nutrient-content-claims/ Definitions of Nutrient Content Claims], U.S. Food and Drug Administration {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005192448/https://www.thenutritionalsource.com/definitions-of-nutrient-content-claims/ |date=October 5, 2016 }}</ref>

==Process== The process of making a diet version of a food usually requires finding an adequate low-food-energy substitute for some high-food-energy ingredient.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/NCCdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/r2p_energy_density.pdf|title=Low-Energy-Dense Foods and Weight Management: Cutting Calories While Controlling Hunger|publisher=CDC.gov}}</ref> This can be as simple as replacing some or all of the food's sugar with a sugar substitute as is common with diet soft drinks such as Coca-Cola (for example Diet Coke), or substituting water. In some snacks, the food may be baked instead of fried thus reducing the food energy. In other cases, low-fat ingredients may be used as replacements.

In whole grain foods, the high fiber content effectively displaces some of the starch component of the flour. Since certain kinds of fibers have no food energy, this results in a moderate energy reduction. Another process relies on the intentional addition of other reduced-food-energy ingredients, such as resistant starch or dietary fiber, to replace part of the flour and achieve a more significant energy reduction.

== Example of low-fat foods == {{See also|Diet drink}} The low-fat foods are those that have 30% of their calories or less from fats. So, if a food contains fewer than 3 gram of fat per 100 calories, it is a low fat food. Examples of cereals, grain, and pasta products are corn or whole wheat tortillas, oatmeal, baked crackers, whole grain versions of noodles, and pita bread. Examples of protein sources are beans, lentils, tofu, egg white, tuna, and peas. On the other hand, polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids can be beneficial to the body. Nutritious foods are avocado, almond, salmon, cashews, seeds, and walnuts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325860.php|title=Low fat foods: List, benefits, and meal plan|website=Medical News Today|date=25 July 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-11-25}}</ref>

==Controversy== In diet foods<ref>[http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/goodfood/Pages/Goodfoodhome.aspx Diet and good food], National Health Service</ref> which replace the sugar with lower-food-energy substitutes, there is some controversy based around the possibility that the sugar substitutes used to replace sugar are themselves harmful.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/01/18/health/where-do-we-stand-artificial-sweeteners/index.html|title=Can artificial sweeteners cause weight gain?|author=Sandee LaMotte|website=CNN|date=18 January 2016|access-date=2019-11-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-worst-sugar-substitutes-health-145139561.html|title=The best and worst sugar substitutes for your health|website=finance.yahoo.com|date=3 July 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/artificial-sweeteners-splenda-crohns-disease-gut-849690|title=Artificial sweeteners like Splenda may make Crohn's Disease gut issues worse, a study showed|last=EDT|first=Janissa Delzo|date=2018-03-16|website=Newsweek|language=en|access-date=2019-11-11}}</ref> Artificial sweeteners have been the subject of intense scrutiny for decades, but according to the National Cancer Institute and other health agencies, there is no sound scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the U.S. cause cancer or other serious health problems. Numerous research studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in limited quantities, even for pregnant women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936 |title=Artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes |publisher=mayoclinic.org |access-date=2012-10-09}}</ref>

In many low-fat and fat-free foods the fat is replaced with sugar, flour, or other full-food-energy ingredients, and the reduction in food energy value is small, if any.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070617121713/http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/chrt_calcomp.html Fat-Free vs. Regular Calorie Comparison], U.S. Food and Drug Administration</ref>

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diet Food}} Category:Diets