Some of the candy we buy is sugar free, as is some of the ice cream, because my parents are both diabetic, so if my parents are going to have any with us, we have to make sure we have something for them, too

As for being healthier, I think if you have a health-related issue, they are. Obviously they do cut out some of the ingredients that are otherwise unhealthy for you, but I don't think it makes a HUGE difference, given the type of food we (my hubby and I) eat.

I purchase fat free items, but not really sugar free. I do usually use sweetener instead of sugar in my tea though. I think it is healthier, because the substitute is not metabolized in the body, so it comes out as waste (and you don't gain the extra calories from it).

I will buy "sugar free" products if there are NO sweetening agents at all added to them. I have read that artificial sweeteners will cause weight gain just like sugar, and may even start to be metabolized by the body like sugar after a period of time.

If this is true or not, I have no idea. But I would rather just taste the natural flavor of food instead of saturating it with sweetness. I prefer tea, oatmeal, jam, etc. au natural.

As for fat free food, the only difference in taste I've noticed is fat free ice cream. Yuck! But stuff like that is a rare treat for me, so I may as well just go whole hog.

I try to, but sometimes it's more costly to get the fat free stuff.. and I'm so not rich..

i'm not diabetic so i dont really put too much thought into it but if i find a low sugar or a sugar free item that doesnt taste like cardboard then i'll totally buy it instead

I try to.. but sometimes it's just unavoidable.

Sugar free foods have dangerous chemicals in them instead like aspartame, which has been proven to cause a multitude of health problems. Sugar is fattening. Seems everything we eat now is bad for you. The meat is injected with hormones that make you fat, the genetically engineered corn is now breeding a new stronger bug that is resistant to its poisonous ingredients. What is safe to eat ????

Only if it's still all natural. Sugar-free often means full of artificial sweeteners (i.e. chemicals) and fat-free products will often contain HFCS to make up for the flavor. I do buy things like 1% organic milk, low-fat plain Greek yogurt, and unsweetened applesauce.

I'll buy sugar free if the sweetener added is a "natural" one, like honey or something. If it just cuts sugar and adds aspertame, then no. I don't buy "low fat" anything because to make it low fat they usually ADD more sugar to preserve the flavor. Less fat, but more sugar. I watch my sugar intake more than my fat intake, so I'll go with the lower sugar/higher fat version. Or I just won't eat it at all.

Yuck! Sugar-free foods have nasty and harmful sugar substitutes and fat-free foods usually contain a lot of other additives like extra sodium to make up for the lack of flavor caused by removing or reducing the fat. Just eat the full-sugar or full-fat versions of foods in moderation. So, nope!