Using a Low Fat Diet to lead a Healthy Life

A low fat diet plan helps to maintain optimum health. It is not necessary that you observe a low fat diet plan only if you are obese. Healthy skin and hair, good insulation, proper body temperature and development of hormones are some of the benefits of a low fat diet.

The Basics

It is important to note that

* A typical, modern, low fat diet is NOT a no-fat diet.




* It limits the consumption of trans-fats and saturated fats as they increase the risk of heart diseases by raising the cholesterol levels.

* A low fat diet is different for different dieters depending upon the objective to be achieved.

* Not only does a low diet plan help you lose weight, it also improves your overall health.

Food items to be avoided

* Items containing trans-fat:

pastries, crackers, pies, cookies, cereals, french-fries, potato chips, muffins and meat.

* Items containing saturated-fats:

dairy products such as butter, cream & cheese, eggs.

* Sugar intake should also be reduced.

What to eat?

You can feast on avocados, olives, nuts, and seeds. Oils like Canola and Flax do no harm. Herring, mackerel, and salmon fishes are good sources of Omega-3.

You can also enjoy dairy products that have low fat content such as skimmed milk, yogurt, low-fat cheeses, and cottage cheese.

Meat can be added in low proportions to the diet plan by trimming off the fats. You can include leaner cuts of lamb, pork, and beef.

Make sure to incorporate a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains in your diet as they are nutritionally very rich with low-fat content.

How Does a Low-Fat Diet Work?

Low fat diet plan reduces the risk of heart diseases and relieves you from the symptoms of gallstones and indigestion.

Fats provide twice the calories per gram as compared to proteins and carbohydrates. In addition, high fat diets can result in high cholesterol.

Low fat diets usually have a low fat content but are high-on fiber and include oats, fruits, beans, vegetables, and healthy sources of proteins such as skinless poultry, lean meat and fish that help in minimizing saturated fats and cholesterol.

They provide 50-60% of calories from carbs, 20-25% from proteins and the rest from fats. Out of the total fat calories consumed, not even 10% is converted into saturated fats.

Tips to Reduce Fat Intake

 While selecting food:

* Know about the food by reading the nutritional labels – go for reduced fat, non-fat and low-fat products.

* Choose fish, poultry and lean meat – restrict these to around 5-7 ounces/day.

* Enjoy non-fat or low-fat spreads and cheeses.

While preparing food:

* Remove skin from poultry and trim the visible fat.

* Refrigerate soups, stews, gravies and remove all the hardened fat before consuming.

* Grill, boil, or bake meats to allow the fat to dip-off.

* Avoid fries.

* Instead of using cream-based sauces, butter or cheese; garnish the cooked vegetables with herbs/spices and lemon juice.

*  Try chives and plain, low fat or no-fat yogurt on baked potatoes and avoid sour cream.

While dining out:




* Go for simply prepared foods, salads with low fat dressings and light, non-creamy desserts.

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