• Eating fat free foods reduces the risk for obesity and related chronic health conditions.diet image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
  
  According to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of the population of American adults, 20 years and older, meet the classification criteria for obesity. Obesity brings with it many health risks including: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Learning how to modify eating behaviors is an effective way to maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity. It is also a good strategy to decrease risks for other serious health conditions. Understanding the affect fat has on obesity and chronic diseases is an important step to take. Eating fat free foods helps to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic health conditions.
  
  

Dairy Products

• Dairy products are generally considered to be food items obtained from the milk of cows and buffaloes. Fat free milk is healthy and contains all of the nutrients of whole milk, but has 100 percent of the fat removed. Dairy products are used in the preparation of many food items such as ice cream, yogurt, pudding, cereal and more. Reading the product labels helps you to know whether other forms of dairy products, such as casein, nonfat milk powder and whey protein or whey protein isolates, have been used in production. One technique food manufacturers use to help sell fat free dairy products is to increase the sugar content to help replace the taste of the fat that has been removed. Reading the label on a fat free food item helps you make an informed decision about the total heath value of a product.
  
  

Fresh Vegetables

• Raw and cooked vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, zucchini, turnips and green peppers are a good source of fat free nutrition. Cook or steam raw vegetables in water or vegetable broth to avoid adding fat in the cooking process. Salad greens are also fat free vegetables. Be sure to use a fat free salad dressing. Fresh vegetable juice is also fat free and a nutritious drink if salt and sugars are limited.
  
  

Fresh Fruits

• Many fruits are naturally fat free and are a good source of vitamins and other nutrients. Eating fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, peaches, kiwi, grapefruit and others helps control the amount of sugar you consume as compared to processed fruits with added sugar found in grocery stores.
  
  

Fat Free Cheese

• Fat free cheeses are available in most grocery produce sections. Almost all common varieties of cheese such as cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, American and Muenster are available in a fat free form. Fat free cream cheese and sour cream can also be purchased. Read the labels before buying, you may be giving up fat but eating a lot more sodium and sugar.