Low Fat Diet Plan | List, benefits and Meal Plan

Low fat diet plan 

Low Fat Diet Plan -  The body uses food as fuel to provide the energy needed for it to function as it should. However, preferences and tastes have come to precede health concerns. High fat flavor enhancers are often used and excessively. The result is excessive body weight and high cholesterol. This is a fatty substance in the blood that has no ill effects when within normal quantities. In fact, the body naturally manufactures cholesterol. When it is high, it can lead to more serious problems like diabetes, fluid retention, heart problems and high blood pressure. It is therefore important to embark on a low fat diet plan and stick to it to evade such health problems.

What is Low Fat Diet Plan:

A low fat diet plan would work to lower cholesterol levels in the blood and to keep it in check thereafter. This would mean reducing the amounts of animal fats consumed such as from fatty meat, eggs as well as dairy products like cheese and butter. Plants and plant products do not contain any cholesterol and should be included in a low fat low diet plan. Unhealthy or saturated fats refer to those that are solid at room temperature. Trans fatty acids which are hydrogenated oils have the same effect and should be minimized. This means avoiding processed foods like pastries, biscuits, sauces, dips, deep fried foods and full fat cheeses and butter. Egg yolks, organ meat like liver and whole milk are also high in cholesterol ans are best avoided in a low fat diet plan.

On a low fat low cholesterol diet plan look at food labels as you shop. Products can be as labeled zero fat or sugar if they have less than half a gram of trans fat in a single serving so check if it has partially hydrogenated oil or shortening listed as an ingredient. Even on a low fat diet plan, the goal is not to do away with oil altogether but to choose healthy kinds. Some in fact help lower cholesterol. 

These are the type called mono saturated or poly saturated fats. These includes omega 3 fats found in oily fish and plant oil like olive, peanut, canola, sunflower, corn, safflower and rapeseed oils. Use this to cook, make salad dressings and even drizzle on bread in place of butter as part of the low fat diet plan.

Be conscious about how you prepare food. When on a low fat diet plan, it would be an exercise in futility to choose healthy foods and then cook them with additives that add rather than lower bad fat. For example, fish and other lean meats should be prepared by baking, broiling, grilling or poaching rather than deep frying or stewing with too much oil.

Sodium is also a factor when on a low fat diet plan. Most people take in more of this mineral that is needed by adding in too much salt to food. The result is that the body retains water in an attempt to counter the excess salt. Organs like the kidney and heart also get strained trying to process excess salt leading to high blood pressure. This thwarts efforts to control another ill effect of high body fat which is high blood pressure.

Low fat diet 

In very serious cases, one may be put on a no sodium or salt diet as part of a low fat diet plan. Salt intake can be controlled by avoiding processed foods that have a lot of it like bacon, crisps, soups, sauces, products canned in brine or salt water and not adding salt at the table. Try sodium free, low sodium or reduced salt varieties as well in a low fat diet plan.

Portions matter in a low fat low cholesterol diet. Even healthy food taken in excessive portions becomes unhealthy. This is also important for those who are at their ideal weight which they should strive to maintain. As a general rule, one half of a plate should be filled with vegetables and the other two halves should have equal portions of protein and carbohydrates. Snacks should be taken in between meals to avoid extreme dips in blood sugar levels. Fruit, seeds and low fat, low salt nuts are filling and healthy as part of a low fat low cholesterol diet.

There are myths surrounding carbohydrates that are misleading. One is that a person on a low fat low cholesterol diet should avoid them. The key is choosing complex carbohydrates. These are the kind that take long to be broken and digested and thus keep one feeling full for longer. The healthiest kinds are natural foods like whole meal bread and pastries which are prepared from whole wheat flour rather than processed or white flour. Whole wheat, low fat breakfast cereals, muffins and bagels are also a good choice for a low fat diet plan.

Finally, a low fat low diet plan should include exercise to get rid of excess body fat and strengthen muscles. Even continuous, vigorous exercise like walking or bicycling done for at half an hour every day makes a difference. If possible though, working out at a gym where one can be monitored and taken through exercises that work all the muscles at least thrice a week is recommended along side the low fat diet plan.

Low Fat Diet Plan List:    

Fat is the main source of energy we eat. It contains more than twice the calories of other foods. A diet high in fats will lead to excessive weight gain.

Most people are aware that high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are linked to increased blood cholesterol levels and a greater risk for heart disease. A low calorie diet is necessary for any weight loss plan to be effective. All foods contain energy and this energy is measured by calories. If caloric intake is less than energy expenditure, weight loss will occur. For this reason, a low calorie diet is sometimes referred to as a low-energy diet. Reducing the consumption of fats may reduce your chances of getting affected by these problems.

However, you don’t have to give up fats altogether. It is important that you limit your intake of fats. Consume only the good fats and leave the bad fats out. Cutting back begins in the kitchen, and continues at the table.

What Foods are Low in Fat? 

Low fat low cholesterol 

Bread & Cereal:

Foods To Avoid - Biscuits, waffles, doughnuts, sweet pastries, pancakes, coffee cake, and stuffing mixes.

Foods To Try / Emphasize - Bread, cereals, crackers, popcorn (unbuttered). Make your own low-fat cakes, biscuits and breads.

Meats:

Foods To Avoid - Fatty meats and high-fat products such as meat pies and sausages. Fried meat or poultry, luncheon meats, frankfurters, duck.

Foods To Try / Emphasize - Low fat meats such as chicken and turkey. Cut off any visible fat and skin before cooking.Eat fish more often. White fish is practically fat free and oily fish contains cholesterol lowering fatty acids.Make gravies using vegetable water or fat-free stock rather than using meat juices. 

Milk & Dairy:

Foods To Avoid - Ice cream, ice milk, full-fat dairy products such as milk, cream, butter, hard margarine, whole milk yogurts and hard cheese.

Foods To Try / Emphasize - Non-fat milk, non-fat dry milk. Semi-skimmed milk, low fat low cholesterol diet yogurts and reduced fat cheeses and creams.

Fruit & Vegetables:

Foods To Avoid - Creamed, fried, buttered or in rich sauces. Coconut, and avocado.

Foods To Try / Emphasize - All fruits except coconut and avocado, all vegetables.

Soups:

Foods To Avoid - Cream soups, or canned soups prepared with whole milk.

Foods To Try / Emphasize - Soup made from water and non fat milk.

Others:

Foods To Avoid - Olives, nuts, sauces with cream, or butter

Foods To Try / Emphasize - Any items without  oils. All non-fat / low fat low cholesterol diet labeled products. 

Unfortunately, weight loss using caloric restriction is difficult because of several physiological factors. The body adapts to energy restriction within a day or two, becoming more efficient and requiring less energy to maintain current weight.

Low fat low cholesterol diet 

Thus, slowing down of the body’s metabolism makes continued weight loss through caloric restriction alone difficult. However, exercise while restricting calories can help to lessen the metabolic slow down. Exercise enhances the metabolic rate. Therefore, a low calorie diet should be combined with exercise to achieve a successful weight loss goal. 

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