Is light Olive Oil really light?

I just bought a bottle of olive oil which said light, but it had the same amount of fat as my other bottle, how does that work?

It doesn't work - not in my books anyway.  Light or Lite can mean a number of things in the food game.

Low fat:  It's low in fat, which makes it ‘light' - however, it's probably high in sugar, which is worse for your metabolism.

Low sugar:  It's light in sugar, but to replace the taste they may have added extra fat or worse still, pumped it full of artificial sweetener.

Light in colour:  Yes, food marketers will write a big ‘lite' on the bottle even if it only means it's light in colour, you will find this with olive oils.

Light in taste:  Again, this applies to olive oils and relates to foods which have a milder flavour.  Check your lite beer, is it light in sugar, alcohol or flavour?

Light in weight:  A ‘lite' chip, may be cut thinner than a normal chip, but that just means it can absorb more fat.

Always compare products by their 100g serving on the nutrition panel.  Your ‘lite' choice may just end up being higher in calories.  Also check the ingredients list, your lite choice may also be a chemistry experiment.

Stacey
28 Jan 10