Low Fat
Summary
A low fat diet is exactly what it sounds like. It is a diet with very little fat. This especially includes saturated fats and cholesterol. This kind of diet is believed to reduce your risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Controversy
The low fat diet has been debated in the recent years. It is known that the human body does need some fat to thrive. One study performed found that a low fat diet did not reduce the risk of cancer. Again others stand firm with the low fat diet saying that the study was not accurate.
Review
Personally, I believe you have to be careful when following a low fat diet. The body does need fat to be healthy. It is a good idea to choose the right fats however. I think everyone can agree that we should stay away from trans fats. However omega 3 fats are also agreed to be very healthy to support our bodies. Omega 3 fats can help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. They also help your immune system, brain health and can be an anti – inflammatory. Some people are even saying that saturated fats are not as bad as once thought as well. But that is not a free pass. Remember everything in moderation.
I was raised on a low fat diet. My parents believed very strongly in this kind of eating. When I went off to college and began eating on my own however I ran into trouble. When I was on my own I ate too much. However I was eating low fat so I couldn’t believe when I had gained the “freshman 15”. I never felt that I ate too much because I never felt full. This can be the problem with a low fat diet. You still can’t eat everything you want just because it is low fat. I feel that this trap can happen because low fat foods don’t always leave you feeling satisfied, so you keep eating. Since I never felt full I didn’t know that I was gaining weight.
Our bodies are smart. When you take the fat out of a food that is naturally supposed to contain fat the body feels it is missing something. The food starts to behave like simple sugars or refined carbs. The body doesn’t feel satisfied because of the lack of fat and nutrients. Did you know that when fat is taken out of foods the nutrients have to be artificially put back in afterwards? Why not eat the real thing? Choose something with natural vitamins and that leaves you feeling full even when you have eaten a fraction of what you normally might eat.
Personally this way of eating I feel is incorrect from experience. Today our family is not afraid of fat. We eat a well rounded diet that includes protein, fruits, veggies, grains and dairy. We eat healthy fats such as avocados, walnuts, salmon and whole milk dairy products and we are all healthy weights. Again everything in moderation.
Always be aware of what you put into your body. If you are eating a low fat diet and having trouble losing weight maybe take another look and try something new.