Healthy Eating Club Courses 
"Light" or "Lite" food products
with reduced fat or sugar
Will 'light' foods help you lose weight?
Energy density = the number of kilojoules (kJ) per gram of food.
A high energy dense food has many kJ per gram of food e.g chocolate has 22 kJ/gram.
A moderate energy dense food has moderate kJ per gram of food e.g bread has 8kJ/gram, rice has 5kJ/gram, flavoured low fat yoghurt 4kJ/gram.
A low energy dense food has few kJ per gram of food e.g apple, celery, low fat natural yoghurt have <2 kJ/gram
There is a common misperception that larger than normal portion sizes of 'lite foods' will still contain fewer calories than the non-lite version. Some people may think that 'lite' is a licence to eat more.
Audio Transcript
Australians are getting heavier despite a flourishing multi-million dollar "diet" industry. Simplistic views that changing to "lite" foods will result in weight reduction have been shown to be false. Eating a diet which is satiating and which will promote a small reduction in energy intake without hunger and severe food restrictions is recommended for weight loss and weight maintenance.
One needs to eat foods which are high in fibre, high in complex carbohydrates and water and have lower energy densities, such as breads, pasta, potatoes, breakfast cereals, fruits and vegetables. Such foods take longer to eat (i..e minimising over-consumption), provide greater bulk to 'fill up' the stomach, and can satisfy appetite at a much lower energy level than 'lite' foods.
Source: Holt SHA. The satiating effects of macronutrients - implications for weight control. Proc Nutr Soc Australia 1996; 20: 47-59.
Many 'lite' products have a limited capacity to reduce amount of energy consumed because of their high palatability and high energy density e.g one would expect ALL low fat yogurts to have a low energy density but the flavoured low fat yoghurts can have a high energy density due to the large content of sugar added. Emerging evidence suggests that regular inclusion of high energy dense foods is associated with obesity and promote high energy intakes. · It has been recommended that 'lite' foods include a measure of the energy density on the label.
