Healthier low-fat eating

Avoiding high levels of fat is important to just about everyone these days.  High levels of dietary fat and cholesterol have been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even some types of cancers.  Staying healthy often means cutting back on fat.  The trick is to do this without sacrificing the taste you and your family crave.

There are many good reasons for cutting back on the amount of fat in the diet. The average diet today contains far too much fat, and lowering the level of fat in the diet is a great help for losing weight and gaining fitness.  Since fat contains more than twice as many calories as protein or carbohydrates, cutting back on fat usually means a reduction in caloric intake.

Losing Weight

In addition to its usefulness in losing weight, cutting levels of fat in the diet is also important for long-term good health.  High fat in the diet can lead to high cholesterol levels, hardening of the arteries, obesity, diabetes, and other serious medical complications.  In addition, high dietary fat is thought to play a role in the development of some of the most common cancers.

In addition, cutting back on high-fat foods will allow you to enjoy more of other, healthier foods.  Enjoying more wholesome, healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while cutting back on greasy, fatty foods, is a great way to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Cutting back on the amount of fat in the diet is not always easy, however, especially for those who have never had to worry about fat content before.  There are a number of simple, easy changes you can make, however, that will allow you to enjoy a low-fat lifestyle with little sacrifice.

For instance, when enjoying toast, bagels, and other whole grain products, don’t use peanut butter or cream cheese, which are high in fat.  For a low-fat alternative, spread toast, bread, and bagels with jelly, jams, apple butter, low-fat cream cheese, or low-fat margarine.

Eating a healthier, lower-fat diet often means changing your relationship with high-fat foods.  That means enjoying high-fat foods like bacon and sausage as an occasional treat or garnish, instead of as a staple of the diet. 

Eating healthy naturally means eating more salads, but it is important not to wreck the healthy effects of the salad by loading them down with high-fat dressings.  A salad tricked out with blue cheese dressing, for instance, can easily contain more fat and calories than a hamburger.  That is why it is important to keep a supply of low-fat or nonfat dressings on hand.   When eating at your favorite restaurant, ask for nonfat dressing, or get the dressing on the side so you can control the amount used.

Baked potatoes are another healthy alternative, but like salads, they can be sabotaged by the addition of high-fat dressings.  Instead of using butter, margarine, cheese, or sour cream, try topping baked potatoes with plain nonfat yogurt, salsa, cottage cheese, or steamed broccoli.  And don’t forget to eat the potato skin for extra nutrients.  The skins of baked potatoes are great sources of fiber and vitamins.

When using seasonings, there are a number of great garnishes that add zest and flavor without adding calories.  Additions like lemon juice, salsa, herbs, and green onions are great additions to salads and stir-fried vegetables.

You’re probably seeing a pattern here.  Toppings can be great when used wisely, but the wrong toppings can quickly add fat and calories to even the lowest-fat recipe.  Use high-fat toppings sparingly, and try to find low-fat and nonfat alternatives whenever possible.

There are a great many low-fat and nonfat products on the market, and these products make it easier than ever to eat healthy while still enjoying your favorite foods.  Some of the best low-fat and nonfat foods are found in the dairy case, including low-fat and nonfat milk, cheese, and even ice cream.

Many popular snacks, including cakes, cookies, and even potato chips, are available in nonfat and low-fat varieties as well.  Care should be used, however, with such products.  Some of these baked goods and salty snacks have very high levels of sugar, sweeteners, salt, and other unhealthy ingredients.  As with all snacks, low-fat cakes, cookies, and chips should be an occasional treat only.  Instead, snacks on fresh fruit like apples, oranges, and bananas.

DISCLAIMER:

This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA-approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”