Key Takeaways
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Saturated fats and added sugars are infiltrating strict diets through “stealth” foods
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Even seemingly healthy foods such as chicken, seafood, nuts and seeds, salad dressings, ketchup, and bread are adding saturated fat and sugars to people’s diets
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Researchers are developing a new app to help individuals identify these hidden sources
MONDAY, Aug. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — “Stealth” foods are sneaking saturated fat and added sugars into even the strictest diets, as shown by a recent study.
While most saturated fats and added sugars typically come from well-known sources such as soft drinks, cheese, pizza, ice cream, and cakes and pies, researchers found that supposedly healthy foods like chicken breast and seafood, as well as condiments like salad dressings and ketchup, contain hidden amounts of saturated fats and sugars.
These popular and generally healthy sources make it challenging for individuals to restrict fat and sugar to the recommended 10% of daily calories, researchers noted.
Lead researcher Christopher Taylor, director of medical dietetics at Ohio State University, highlighted, “Chicken breast is promoted as a lower saturated fat food, but it still contains some saturated fat. Understanding how foods with smaller amounts gradually contribute to saturated fat intake is essential in identifying hidden sources in the diet.”
Taylor added, “Meeting less than 10% involves identifying the major contributors, as well as recognizing where saturated fat and added sugar may still be present in other food choices. It’s not about labeling them as poor choices – it’s about being aware of how seemingly healthier options may also contribute to fat and sugar intake.”
For the study, researchers analyzed data from over 36,000 U.S. adults who participated in a federal nutrition survey between 2005 and 2018.
Results revealed that saturated fat accounted for at least 12% of daily calories, on average, while added sugars made up 14% to 16% of daily calories.
Primary sources of saturated fat included cheese, pizza, ice cream, and eggs, while leading sources of added sugar were soft drinks, tea, fruit drinks, as well as cakes and pies.
Less-obvious “stealth” sources of saturated fat comprised cold cuts, non-dairy creamers, fried potatoes, and whole milk, while added sugars in people’s diets came from ketchup, cereal bars, energy drinks, and yeast breads.
Various demographic groups were exposed to higher levels of saturated fat and sugar from different stealth sources, with Black individuals having the greatest contribution to saturated fat from chicken and Asian individuals deriving most of their saturated fat from nuts and seeds.
Black and Asian individuals also consumed more saturated fat from fish and seafood compared to other groups.
Current dietary recommendations typically target obviously unhealthy choices like pizza and ice cream, the researchers pointed out.
The team is currently developing an app to help individuals identify specific “nutrients of concern” in seemingly healthy foods, enabling them to make informed dietary decisions.
Taylor emphasized, “There are foods that are higher in saturated fat and added sugar that are frequently consumed and targeted, but there’s also a cumulative effect of things that are generally perceived as healthy yet still contribute slightly to intake. When combined with high sources, they exceed the threshold for the recommended 10% of daily calories.”
“Our goal is to identify not only the major contributors but also the stealthy contributors in dietary intake,” Taylor concluded.
More information
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides additional details on dietary recommendations for Americans.
SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, Aug. 15, 2024
What This Means For You
Individuals striving to strictly control their intake of saturated fats and added sugars should be mindful of hidden sources like chicken, seafood, salad dressings, and ketchup.
