How did the low fat craze impact diets?

The low-fat craze led to unintended consequences rather than healthier eating habits. Despite recommendations to adopt low-fat diets, people didn't significantly reduce their fat intake. Instead, there was a surge in low-fat and fat-free products that were often laden with sugars and refined carbohydrates, which contributed to the obesity epidemic 1 2.

Adopting a low-fat diet often meant eating more processed foods and refined sugars, hidden under various names in ingredient lists, to make these low-fat products palatable 1. This shift didn't decrease overall fat consumption significantly but increased calorie intake due to the addition of sugars and other additives 3 4.

Moreover, the practical challenges and the high costs associated with maintaining a low-fat diet also limited its adoption, with the approach often seen as elitist and impractical for many families 5. This led to a divide in dietary practices, with people becoming frustrated and confused about what constitutes a healthy diet 2 6.

Overall, the low-fat movement, propelled by poor research and effective marketing, failed to deliver its promises of better health and weight loss. Consequently, it paved the way for a reevaluation of dietary fats, emphasizing that not all fats are bad and highlighting the importance of food quality over mere quantity 6 7.