Low Fat Diet Doesn't Mean Cut Out All The Fat; You Still Need Some For Health

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A Low Fat Diet Doesn't Mean
Cutting Out All The Fat....

A Low Fat Diet should be one that's Balanced and Healthy

One that has low fat, high vitamins & minerals and fiber, moderate lean protein and complex carbohydrates (carbs).

How exactly do you go about doing this?

One thing's sure - it’s not going to be a fad diet that excludes a whole food groups.

Low fat doesn't mean you cut it out completely from your diet. You still need some fat in your diet.

And low fat isn't only about lowering your intake of fat.

What about carbs, not the refined kinds (refined sugar, refined white bread, pasta, noodles, rice) but the complex kinds like those in whole-grain pastas, rice and breads?

Oh, they're important component of a healthy low fat diet too.

The Recommended Fat Intake

I think the guidelines on intake of fat from the American Heart Association, is a good way to start a healthy, low fat diet.

It tells you to eat healthy amount of fat like these:

Adjust your total fat intake to your caloric needs; ideally it should be 30% of total calories or less, especially if you're overweight

Choose fats and oils that contain 2 grams or less of saturated fat per tablespoon. These include liquid and tub margarine, canola, corn, safflower, soy bean and olive oils

Your intake of saturated fat should be less than 7% of total calories

Your intake of trans fat should be less than 1% of daily calories

Your intake of cholesterol should be less than 300 mg per day

Your intake of sodium should be less than 2,300 mg per day (which is about one teaspoon of salt)

Go for only lean cuts of meat; trim off any visible fat before cooking. Also, before cooking poultry, remove the skin

Add at least two servings of fish to your diet each week. Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids help reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease

Eat at least one meatless meal per week, preferably more

Eat whole-grain pasta, rice, breads and cereal. These are low in saturated fat and high in fiber and other nutrients

Eat plenty of fruits & vegetables which are rich sources of vitamins and minerals and fiber

Bake, steam, roast, boil or broil foods instead of frying them

Go for low fat milk, low fat cheeses and low fat and nonfat yogurt

Eat low fat cookies and cakes instead of high fat desserts

Look out for frosting and sauces, as they are often hidden sources of fat

Do you see? The guidelines don't just tell you to eat a low fat diet. It tells you to eat a healthy diet that contains all the food groups, with all the vital nutrients in it.

If you're overweight, this low fat intake yields another bonanza - it saves you from loads of calories as fat has a whopping 9 calories per gram compared with proteins and carbs which have 4 calories per gram.

The Tallying up of your Daily Fat Intake

Let's do some numbers to tally up your daily fat intake in a low fat diet.

You figure out first your calories, in order to figure out your fat intake.

Your daily caloric intake to maintain your body weight, depends on how active you're, which could be:

-If you're sedentary or inactive: your current body weight in lbs x 12

-If you're moderately active: your current body weight in lbs x 14

-If you're very active: your current body weight in lbs x 16 to 18

Say you weigh 150 pounds, are moderately active. Your calorie intake should be 150 X 12 = 1800 calories.

You can have 30% of your calories as fat, or about 540 calories a day.

Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, so 540 calories divided by 9 = 60 grams of fat. That’s really quite a bit.

You get the picture?

What Foods are High in Fat?

You know them, come on.....

Dairy foods (whole milk, ice cream, creams)

Fatty red meats

Butter (not only high in fat, but saturated fat as well)

Oils are fat (though some may have lower saturated fat)

Cheese

Processed meats (sausages, salamis, hot dogs, bologna)

Always read the labels . Pay attention to foods that say "Healthy" or "No cholesterol". They may still contain large amounts of fat and saturated fat!

You really don’t have to settle for a dull, low fat diet.....

Use your imagination. It can go a long way to keep your foods interesting.

Try new spices.

Go get a good low fat cookbook with many recipes and alternatives.

Invest a little time in planning out some good alternatives.

Well, some "creative imagination" from me.......

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