Are cooking sprays really fat-free?
Spray oils are made of vegetable oils so they contain fat. The spray technology produces a portion so small that the fat content in a standard serving is insignificant. According to nutrition labeling laws, when one serving of a food contains less than 0.5 grams of fat, that number can be rounded down to zero and the product can be labeled “fat-free.” Based on the “fat-free” claim, some people use large amounts of oil sprays and believe they are still getting zero fat, but not so. Spray oils usually contain 0.2 or 0.3 grams of fat in a standard serving, which is a spray that lasts 0.3 second. If you spray for one second or about one to two pumps in pump-style products, the amount of oil is so little that it adds negligible fat and calories. Spray oils can be useful, but remember that we need to consume some fat each day for good health. # # # AICR’s Nutrition Hotline is a free service that allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. Access it on
