Poll: The Fat List - 49 foods to avoid

A blacklist of foods heavy on calories but light on nutrition has been drawn up to help combat obesity - and honey, muesli bars, whole milk and frozen yoghurt are all included.

Otago University researchers developed the list of 49 "Needn't" foods, published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal, as part of a treatment research programme for obesity.

They stress the list is a guide to help obese people identify which foods could be cut from their diet.

But others say it could be a step towards imposing higher taxes and other measures on junk food.

"Needn't" foods are high in fat or added sugars, prepared using a high-fat cooking method such as frying, or have a large amount of energy compared to their essential nutrient content.

Some are on the blacklist because there is an easy and healthier alternative, such as substituting skim milk for whole milk.

Others, such as honey, would not be a concern if included in a healthy person's diet.

- Nicholas Jones, NZ Herald

What do you think? Would this list change your eating habits? Any surprises on there? Comment below and vote in our poll.

The complete list:

NEEDNT FOOD Replace with (* if omit entirely):

1. Alcoholic drinks Water/diet soft drinks

2. Biscuits *

3. Butter, lard, dripping or similar fat (used as a spread or in

baking/cooking etc.) Lite margarine or similar spread or omit

4. Cakes *

5. Chocolate *

6. Coconut cream Lite coconut milk/coconut flavoured lite evaporated milk

7. Condensed milk *

8. Cordial Water/Sugar free cordial

9. Corn chips *

10. Cream (including crème fraiche) Natural yoghurt (or flavoured yoghurt depending on use)

11. Crisps (including vegetable crisps) *

12. Desserts/puddings *

13. Doughnuts *

14. Drinking Chocolate etc. Cocoa plus artificial sweetener

15. Energy drinks Water

16. Flavoured milk/milkshakes Trim, Calcitrim or Lite Blue Milk

17. Fruit tinned in syrup (even lite syrup!) Fruit tinned in juice/artificially sweetened

18. Fried food Boiled, grilled or baked food

19. Frozen yoghurt Ordinary yoghurt

20. Fruit juice (except tomato juice and unsweetened

blackcurrant juice) Fresh fruit (apple, orange, pear etc. + a drink!)

21. Glucose Artificial sweetener

22. High fat crackers (more than 10g fat per 100g) Lower fat crackers (less than 10g fat per 110g)

23. Honey *

24. Hot chips *

25. Ice cream *

26. Jam *

27. Marmalade *

28. Mayonnaise Lite dressings/lite mayonnaise

29. Muesli bars *

30. Muffins *

31. Nuts roasted in fat or oil Dry roasted or raw nuts (less than 1 handful per day)

32. Pastries *

33. Pies *

34. Popcorn with butter or oil Air popped popcorn

35. Quiches Crust-less quiches

36. Reduced cream Natural yoghurt

37. Regular luncheon sausage Low fat luncheon sausage

38. Regular powdered drinks  Water/Diet/Sugar free powdered drinks

39. Regular salami Low fat salami

40. Regular sausages Low fat sausages

41. Regular soft drinks Water/Diet soft drinks

42. Rollups Fresh fruit

43. Sour cream Natural yoghurt

44. Sugar (added to anything including drinks, baking, cooking

etc.) Artificial sweetener

45. Sweets/lollies *

46. Syrups such as golden syrup, treacle, maple syrup Artificial sweetener

47. Toasted muesli and any other breakfast cereal with more than 15g sugar per 100g cereal Breakfast cereal with less than 15g sugar per 100g cereal, more than 6g fibre

per 100g cereal and less 5g fat per 100g cereal (or less than 10 g fat per

100g cereal if cereal contains nuts and seeds)

48. Whole Milk Trim, Calcitrim or Lite Blue Milk

49. Yoghurt type products with 10g sugar per 100g yoghurt Yoghurt (not more than one a day