What is olestra?
Olestra is a new calorie-free fat replacer. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a replacement for the fat used in preparing some snack foods like potato chips, corn chips, tortilla chips, and crackers. Olestra looks like fat and has similar cooking features.
Olestra is made starting with everyday ingredients found in common foods–table sugar and vegetable oil. Olestra is put together in a new way so that it cannot be absorbed by the body.
How can olestra fit into a healthful diet?
The best way to achieve a healthful diet is by eating balanced meals and snacks that include a variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid, such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta, fruit, vegetables, milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, fish, poultry, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. Fats, oils, and sweets should be eaten in moderation.
Fat replacers like olestra are one of the many acceptable ways to help reduce the amount of fat and calories in your diet. Because olestra isn’tabsorbed by the body, it adds no fat or calories to the foods that are made with it.
For example, a 1-ounce bag of potato chips made with olestra contains 0 grams of fat and about 70 calories, compared with 10 grams of fat and 160 calories for a 1-ounce bag of full-fat potato chips.
Reducing your total fat intake and establishing a healthy eating pattern can help you lower your risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.
How will snacks made with olestra taste?
Snack foods made with olestra, such as potato chips and corn chips, will have the taste and texture people have asked for.
Who can eat snacks made with olestra?
The FDA has determined that snacks made with olestra can be safely eaten by adults and children. Registered dietitians and Pediatricians recommend that fat and calories not be restricted for children under age two. In addition, it is important that all children eat foods that supply ample calories, vitamins, and minerals for optimal growth.
Pregnant and lactating women can enjoy snack foods made with olestra. However, snack foods made with olestra are lower in calories than traditional snacks, and most pregnant and lactating women need to increase their calories by consuming foods that are good sources of calcium and other nutrients. Pregnant and lactating women should make careful food choices, as they do with other fat- or calorie-reduced foods.
Will olestra affect my digestive system?
With typical eating patterns, most people will experience no different digestive effects from snack foods made with olestra than from full-fat snacks. Some people, especially if they eat large amounts of snacks made with olestra, may experience digestive effects, such as abdominal cramping and loose stools.
Will olestra have any effect on nutrients in my diet?
Olestra does not affect how the body absorbs carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, or water-soluble vitamins including the B vitamins, and vitamin C. However, when snacks made with olestra are eaten around the same time as other foods, olestra can cause a decrease in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, and carotenoids like beta carotene supplied by the other foods. To offset the effects of any loss of vitamins A, D, E, and K, food companies will add these essential vitamins to snack foods made with olestra. The FDA has found that olestra’s overall effect on the absorption of carotenoids is unlikely to be significant.
How will I know if foods contain olestra?
Olestra will be available under the Procter & Gamble brand name Olean?, which will appear on the front of the package. The word “olestra” will appear on the food label’s ingredient list as shown below.
Ingredients: Potatoes, Olestra (Olean? Brand), Salt, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and Vitamin D. Olean? is a trademark of the Procter & Gamble Company.
When will snacks made with olestra be available?
Snacks made with olestra should be available in limited areas in 1996.
For more information
The American Dietetic Association/National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics
For answers to your nutrition questions or for a referral to a registered
dietitian in your area, call the Consumer Nutrition Hot Line at 800/366-1655.
This fact sheet was supported by a grant from the Procter & Gamble
Company, makers of olestra.
? ADAF 1995. Used with permission. The ADA does not endorse the
products or services of any company. Reproduction of this fact sheet is
permitted for educational purposes. Reproduction for sales purposes is
not authorized.
Copyright ?1996, The American Dietetic Association
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