Question: I have a low carb cookbook which also tries to be low in saturated fat. I've noticed quite a few of the desserts include either fat free whipped topping (I figured this was Cool Whip) or Fat Free Half and Half (which doesn't even make sense, since isn't it supposed to be half milk and half cream? What's this stuff "half" of?). Anyway, I looked for these products and read the labels and it was disturbing - the Cool Whip is full of transfats, and they both are loaded with corn syrup! What is your opinion of these products? R.
Answer: Well, R., you sent me running to the grocery store to see for myself and you are absolutely right, those labels are a sight to behold.
The first four ingredients of the Cool Whip Free are: Water, Corn Syrup (read: sugar), Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (read: trans fats), High Fructose Corn Syrup (read: sugar again).
The first five ingredients of "fat free half and half" (and I agree with you - in literature class this would be called an oxymoron) are Nonfat Milk, Milk, Corn Syrup Solids (sugar), Artificial Color, and Sugar.
What Does Fat Free Mean?
Surprise! It doesn't mean "free of fat".Fat free or trans-fat free means that there is less than half a gram of fat or trans fat per serving. It could be .49 gram and be considered zero. Note that the serving size is important. With both of these products, the serving size is two tablespoons. This may or may not be what is in a serving of whatever recipe you are using. If there is .49 grams of trans fat in two tablespoons of the Cool Whip, and the recipe ends up giving you half a cup of the stuff, you've basically got 2 grams of transfat (the worst kind of fat for you).
Whenever you see "trans fat free" on a label, you should look at the ingredient list. If you see "partially hydrogenated oil", that is trans fat. If you see "hydrogenated oil", that is most probably trans fat. If you see "fully hydrogenated oil", that is supposed to be very low in trans fats.
(Get more information about trans fats from About's Nutrition Guide and About's Low Fat Cooking Guide.)
In the case of the Cool Whip, the first ingredient is water, but there is probably even more of an important ingredient in whipped topping: air. If they can whip enough air into it, the amount of everything else in a serving goes down. But the minute the topping starts to deflate, the MORE of everything else there is in the two tablespoon serving size.
What About the Carbs?
With all that corn syrup, you can bet there's added sugar in these products, and there is - 3 grams per 2 tablespoon serving. That can add up very fast if you're not careful. Note that zero carbohydrates on a food label means that the serving has less than one gram of carb (it could be .999 grams carb, but it still can be listed as "zero"). But these products have much more than that.Should you use products such as this? I think you just have to be aware of what you are eating and how much of it. I personally avoid anything with trans fats and added sugars. But if there is a recipe you want to try for a special occasion, a little bit isn't going to kill you.
