In the early 1980s, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) started a war against dietary fat when they published the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines recommended that fat of all kinds be avoided in order to improve health. Later, we would learn these recommendations were completely incorrect, but this was the beginning of the "fat-free" craze.

Suddenly, food companies jumped on the bandwagon, with fat-free desserts of all kinds, fat-free cheese, and skim milk. It seemed like as long as the food didn't have fat, it was fine to eat as much as you wanted. The problem was that they loaded up these fat-free foods with a ton of sugar, sodium, and chemicals.

To this day, the myth still persists that a fat-free food is healthier than a food that contains fat. But fat actually serves a purpose. It increases satiety, or the feeling of fullness. Eating only fat-free foods will make you incredibly hungry because sugar increases hunger. If a food is supposed to contain fat, such as a dessert or cheese, eat a reasonable portion of the full-fat option and avoid the fat-free alternative. It will contain fewer chemicals, less sodium, and less sugar. It will also make you feel satisfied longer, so you will eat less overall.