Cheese & mayo questions

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-31-2003
Cheese & mayo questions
5
Tue, 11-04-2003 - 11:54am
Hi,

I'm on my third day of SBD and so far, so good, but I have a few questions regarding cheese and mayo.

Is it mandatory to eat reduced fat cheese, mayo and margarine? I have a real problem (ie. issue) with eating reduced fat anything - especially mayo and margarine. I feel that the extra garbage they put in to make up for the lack of fat is worse than the fat. I also think that, in general, it's not even worth it to eat the reduced fat varieties because they don't taste anything like the real thing. Does anyone else feel that way and if so, what are you doing?

Thanks,

Maria

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2003
Tue, 11-04-2003 - 12:41pm
Ugh, I so dislike light cheeses as well! THere is, however, one exception to the rule. Have you tried Laughing Cow Light? It's only 35 calories per wedge and is fantastic on celery, sliced red peppers, and in turkey or ham roll-ups. All the other light cheeses, IMO are blech! So I stuck/stick to the harder cheeses like cheddar, and just watched how much I ate. I still lost weight. As far as the light mayos I happen to like the Hellman's light, but I have heard that the regular is OK because it is still low in carbs. As far as the butters, they really try to urge you not to become dependent on the butters, I use the spray version of I can't Believe it's Not Butter for cooked veggies. You need to use so little to get that butter flavor whereas if you use a non-spray you would need to use a lot more. I would suggest giving it a try. And my crittics (ages 2.5 and 4.5) agree! And can not tell the difference. And why give kids all that unecessary fat as well -- they still get plenty of it. I would try the two products I have mentioned. I think you will be plesantly surprised. GOod luck!

Jessica

120/114/108

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-08-2003
Tue, 11-04-2003 - 1:06pm

"I have a real problem (ie. issue) with eating reduced fat anything - especially mayo and margarine. I feel that the extra garbage they put in to make up for the lack of fat is worse than the fat."


South Beach isn't about the volume of fat or the calorie counts of fat, it's about

Maggie  

"Success is a journey, not a destination"

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 11-04-2003 - 2:24pm

If you can get Cabot cheddar cheese in your area, it's FANTASTIC. And since they sell it at my organic grocery, I'm pretty sure they don't fill it with crap. :)


Edited to add: I meant the Cabot LIGHT cheddar. Doh! brain on autopilot today.


Sarah





210.5/190.5/140


You can't cross the sea merely by staring at the water.
-- Rabindranath Tagore




Edited 11/4/2003 2:50:54 PM ET by jeckie

210.5/<

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-1999
Tue, 11-04-2003 - 11:04pm

Welcome, Maria!


Oh, but you are so right about many of the "Fat Free" products and added fillers. Dr. A does mention this in the book, and for some products, he says it is better to have the full fat version than the nonfat version with all the unhealthy carbs (yes, unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, some of those fillers are bad carbs...check the ingredients to determine which ones you should and should not eat).


Getting back to the issue of cheese, though. I found that some brands of "light" ricotta cheese contained bad trans fats and carbs, and some did not, so you really have to check labels. All the grocery stores around here sell some cheeses in store brand low fat varieties, which are real cheese without fillers. Mild cheddar seems to be the most popular, so check in the regular aisle first. In the deli area, you might find others that are similarly processed.


Personally, I buy a combination of low fat and full fat cheeses, depending on the type of cheese I want.


As for mayonnaise, the same rule applies: Check the label. Personally, I don't eat much mayo and keep a small jar of the real stuff around. But if you do eat a lot or are uncomfortable with that, you might want to find a good alternative lower in fat. Do a search on this message board for alternatives to regular mayo; some good ideas have been posted!


In general, I find that many of the "low fat" products are better choices than the "fat free" products, but this is not set in stone!


 

winter 2010 siggy

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-31-2003
Wed, 11-05-2003 - 1:05pm
Thanks for all the suggestions!