The Truth About Low Fat Diets

For a long time, people thought fat was the enemy, prompting the proliferation of low fat diets. Low fat diets rely on the premise that if you eat low fat foods, you'll eat fewer calories, and therefore lose weight. This idea is based on studies linking consumption of certain types of fats with particular health issues.

It makes sense that eating lower calorie foods would make you lose weight. The problem is that many high fat foods are good for you, since some types of fats are good, and many low fat foods are horrible for you, leading you to crave more. For instance, consider the cocktail, which is fat free but packed with calories due to the high sugar content.

If everyone who followed a low fat diet ate fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats, it would be possible to see success. If you can eat a low fat diet that consists of lean meats and high fiber fruits, veggies, and whole grains, you may avoid triggering the insulin production associated with eating high sugar foods, and you may lose weight. Unfortunately, most of us need the satisfaction of at least some high fat food in our diets, just to stave off cravings. Also, this diet plan ignores the need for portion control, when really, the body can only handle so much fuel before it starts storing it as fat.

What is the healthiest wasy to diet? Try to eat low fat foods that are also low in simple carbs, but supplement your diet with healthy fats such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, the fats that contain Omega 3 and 6 acids. That means you’ll want to eat fatty fish like salmon and tuna, and high-fat foods like nuts, olive oil and avocados.

A healthy weight loss plan focuses on calorie and portion control, healthy food choices, and exercise. If you do choose a low fat diet plan, stay away from high sugar items, and emphasize high protein and high fiber foods.