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DO LOW FAT DIETS WORK?
Is a daily diet greatly restricted in fat grams and content a healthy mode for weight loss?
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Fads come and fads go. A few years back, it was all the Diet Rage to count the number of fat grams in the diet to lose weight. The magic number was sometimes set to 30 fat grams or less per day - an extremely dangerous Diet Experience!
Do low fat diets work? I wouldn't bet the bank on it!
Just because a food contains little fat doesn't mean that it's low in calories. And at the end of the day, 3,500 calories equals one pound of body weight, no matter how you cut the fat.
Yes, fat does build-up over time in the arteries and contributes to heart-related disease. However, it's important to note that all dietary fats are not created equal and some do more damage to our bodies over time than others.
The four common fats in the diet that come from the foods and beverages that we consume are:
Saturated Fats
Monounsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated Fats
Trans Fats
At one time all dietary fats were considered unhealthy options in the daily diet. But fat is essential go good health. Then saturated fats were the bad fat boy on the block - and still are considered such. Then we were encouraged to put more monounsaturated fats into our daily diet for better health and avoid the polyunsaturated fats until we were told that NO, they aren't the good guys - the polyunsaturated fats were better. And now we're hearing about Trans Fats - the worst fats ever.
At this point we encourage limited consumption of all fats in the diet but not a daily diet that is severely restricted in dietary fat. Run from the saturated fats - and leave the Trans Fats alone.
How Much Dietary Fat Do You Need in Your Daily Diet?
- Less than 10% of daily fat should be from the form of saturated fats.
- Less than 300 mg of cholesterol should be consumed in the daily diet.
- Trans Fats should be avoided.
- Total fat intake should be between 25% and 35% of total caloric intake for the day.
- Most fat intake should be derived from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Fish, fruit, nuts and vegetables are examples of foods containing these fatty acids.
- Ensure that mean proteins are the leanest cut available; remove skin and visible fat.
- Choose foods and products that are low in fat content when shopping.
About Counting Fat Grams for Weight Loss
Although it's a very good idea to watch the amount of fat in the diet, a drastic restriction of fat can cause as many - and perhaps more problems that a diet rich in fat.
"Think of fat as a see-saw, and the dieter's task as one who must balance the see-saw."
Fat in the diet contributes to healthy skin, shiny hair, and it protects vital organs from injury.
Again, the chief type of fat to avoid is 'Trans Fats' and strive to limit saturated fat in the daily diet.
A healthy source of fat is extra virgin olive oil.
If you plan to count fat grams for weight loss, ask your doctor how many fat grams that you require daily.
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