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Glite Dictionary
olestra

olestra

3 8.1
A man-made fat used in some snack foods to reduce calories
  • noun
  • /oʊˈlɛstrə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : olestra
  • Next year, the government could give the go-ahead to a fake fat called olestra, which replaces oils and shortenings.
  • olestra chips
  • olestra fat substitute
  • olestra-based foods

Examples

  • Rogaine, Viagra, olestra.

    Fight Club (1999)

  • On the other hand, Cawley recalled diet soda and Olestra as examples where the food industry has sought ways to increase profit by decreasing the impact of their products on body weight, and the pharmaceutical industry is currently developing drugs to help alleviate obesity, a market that is expected to grow to $1.3 billion by the year 2010.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Chips made with the fat substitute olestra have zero fat and about 75 calories.

  • The fat-free chips with olestra did a bit better, but left a greasy feeling in the mouth.

Synonyms

Simplesse
vsolestra
1 9.9

A food ingredient that replaces fat in low-calorie foods

is a synthetic substitute used in snack foods to reduce calories

How Digestible

fat
258 1.0
olestra
  • Specialized
3 8.1
fiber
  • US
102 2.6

Surface Forms

olestra singular
olestras plural

Etymology

Olestra was created as a brand name for a fake fat and uses the part ole- from oleo, which means 'oil'. A helpful way to remember it is to think 'oil-like but not real fat', because olestra is a synthetic fat substitute used to lower calories in snack foods.