This may be one of the biggest doubts when we talk about healthy eating.

The first products with this concern for reducing sugar levels appeared in 1969 here in Brazil and since then they have been gaining more and more space on supermarket shelves and consumers' tables.

With the increasing consumption of this type of food with reduced sugar content, some doubts about some terms may arise.

And one of the biggest doubts, if not the biggest, is the practical differentiation between light, diet and zero.

In this article we will explain how each of these terms apply.

Diet vs. light vs. zero: What's the difference?

First you need to understand that these terms deal with the addition, or not, of some components in product formulas.

Diet

Diet products are those that do not have any type of sugar, sucrose, fat or protein added.

These products are often classified as “better for you.”

An excellent example of a product in this category are the delicious BOLD bars ! They have zero added sugar.

This means they can be included in any type of diet!

Light

“Light” was one of the first terms to appear on the market. It refers to a reduction (of at least 25%) of sugars in relation to the product’s original formula.

It is common for products of this type, even if "light", to have more sugar than diet products.

This is because even with the reduction, there is still a lot of added sugar in their composition, making these products less healthy than those included in the term seen previously.

Zero sugar

This is the darling of the moment and should continue for a long time.

Zero sugar products are those that do not contain any harmful types of sweetener in their composition.

The “sweet” factor of these products ends up being played by sweeteners such as stevia , for example.

Many people accuse these sweeteners of having an inferior taste to conventional sugars. But in general, zero-sugar products have been increasingly accepted in the market.

Is zero really zero sugar?

Yes. Foods classified as zero sugar do have no sugar in their composition.

But it is important to note that these products may contain other components that are also harmful to the body, such as sodium.

This is the case with soft drinks. Those classified as zero sugar can have up to 3x more sodium than normal versions.

Unfortunately, in the case of soft drinks in particular, it is best to stop consuming these foods. For other segments, diet and zero options can be a good option!

Why consume products of this type?

We can say that the increase in consumption of this type of product is mainly due to changes in most people's routines.

These changes mostly come from the desire to have a healthier and more positive daily life for your body.

One of the big changes was to reduce the consumption of sugar in industrialized products such as drinks.

In fact, it is in the beverage market that we find the largest number of products that use the terms we are discussing here today.

The important thing is to always look at the nutritional table of each food and see which components can be harmful to your body's health.

Talking to professionals in the field, such as nutritionists and nutritionists, can also be an excellent idea.