Dr Brett Says: I have been saying this for years. Finally the message is getting through. Healthy fats are not the enemy and unhealthy carbohydrates and sugars certainly are (or at least one of them).

From Adelaide Now

THE low-fat food market actually may be a key driver of the obesity epidemic, says a University of South Australia academic.

Professor Kerin O'Dea, who has advised governments on nutrition and public health, says many low-fat processed products are marketed as health foods, yet have more calories than full-fat versions.

One example she gives is Uncle Toby's Fruit Fix, a new product with the Heart Foundation's tick of approval.

"That's got 72 per cent added sugar," Prof O'Dea said. "And I'm surprised and disappointed that a product like this with so many added sugars has a Heart Foundation tick."

The Sansom Institute for Health Research director cites a range of factors - including our sedentary lifestyles and increasing portion sizes - as marking the start of the obesity epidemic in the early 1980s.

That was also when low-fat processed foods first hit the shelves.

But she says those foods often have hidden sugars which can make them more calorie-laden than the full-fat equivalent.