But Calories Still Count C onsumers have been very good at learning how to read labels and reducing the percent of calories from fat in their diets, but they are still just as heavy. Unfortunately, consumers have been ignoring total calories in favor of watching only their fat calories.
Calories come from four sources in the diet.
In addition to fat, they come from protein, carbohydrates, and alcohol. So while consumption of fat calories may be less, it appears that people are loading up on calories from the other sources. The message to reduce fat has been heard more clearly than other messages about diet. The advice to eat more fruits and vegetables, which could reduce fat in the diet as well as provide other important disease-fighting nutrients, does not register as well in the consumer consciousness. Apparently, shoppers who say they changed their diet for health reasons are trying to decrease the amount of fat in their diets without eating more fruits and vegetables.