Low Fat vs Full Fat: My Journey to Elevated Eating

For years I’ve bounced back and forth on whether or not I want to use fat free or low calorie versions of the food that I would normally use. A lot of the people I saw online for a long time said “always use full fat because it always tastes better,” then I started delving into the fitness side of food content online and the whole atmosphere around food changed completely.

The focus went from “make food as delicious as possible” to “use ingredients that allow you to eat as much as possible with as little calories as possible” and I saw what I thought was a grand opportunity: eat a lot and still get fit. You see, I’ve struggled to manage my weight for most of my life, and eventually it got exhausting. I felt that everything I attempted ended up not helping, and I felt desperate to try whatever new mindset or strategy had a lot of proven potential. I wanted to do this without realizing the reason for my unhealthy eating habits came from issues I had within my own mind. Self-harm and harsh judgement festered under my relationship with food and it took a long time of looking within and reflecting on my values to realize that. Many demonize low fat alternatives as bland and worthless. I see its value, and deliberately seek the opposite philosophy for the food that I have come to eat.

After looking at food as something I need to decode and navigate like the seven seas, I realized my misguided thoughts. I needed to respect food. A hearty cup of low fat yogurt with sugar free jam and stevia just doesn’t do it for me any more. I learned to use less sugar, adapt my palate to loving acid and earthiness, tang and tartness over the sweetness I craved in my youth. This has helped repair the bonds of my broken relationship to a better place. It’s not perfect (I still love the guilt-free indulgence of a diet Dr. Pepper now and again) but I have never been more happy with it. I’d rather have a quarter cup of rich, full fat yogurt with sweet and tart raspberry jam because of how much better it tastes, not just because I believe there is no substitute. It deserves the indulgence that it brings.

Using lower calorie foods to have more hearty and filling meals helps a lot of people lose weight, I won’t deny it. But quadruple zero fat greek yogurt and ground turkey with just salt just leaves me wanting more. I need more soul in my food. And I’m willing to focus in the little things more and more to experience that fulfillment.