Low Fat Diet: a Problem or a Solution?

Many weight loss programs advocate cutting fat out of diet. Following the fact that each gram of fat is nine calories as opposed to four calories of one gram of carbohydrates and proteins, cutting fat seems to be a logical choice for someone who wants to lose weight. However a two-year study had shown that a number of participants actually gained weight on a low fat diet.

Why did this happen?

It will help us if we consider the difference between the low-fat products and their original versions. Let’s take the example of cookies. Low fat cookies usually contain more sugar than their original versions.

Extra sugar is added to improve the taste of the low-fat cookies so the calories of low-fat and the original product are almost the same. Moreover if 1-2 cookies of the original “fatty” version were able to satisfy our sweet tooth, the low-fat version with lots of sugar actually increases our cravings so we eat more.

In fact eating low-fat products increases the consumption of simple carbohydrates, ones with a high glycemic index, such as sugars, white flour, etc. So the low-fat diet is actually also a high–simple-carbohydrates diet that promotes the weight gain.

All carbohydrates are converted into glucose before entering the bloodstream. Glucose is partially used for energy immediately. Unused glucose is converted into glucogen and stored in the body.

Since only a limited amount can be stored as glucogen, the excess is stored as fat. Low-fat diets inevitably lead to an excessive consumption of carbohydrates and this is how they turn us fat.

The ideal diet should consist of 20-30% of fat. This doesn’t mean that we must eat all existing types of fat. If you want to be healthy and attain your ideal weight reduce the consumption of saturated fats, margarine, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils and all the products that contain them. Some fats are essential to health.

These are the Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids. They can also help if you crave fatty foods. The food sources of these important fatty acids are fish, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, other seeds and nuts. For cooking use organic cold pressed olive oil. It is also better to consume a limited amount of organic butter than margarine.

Make sure your fat consumption doesn’t exceed 30% of your daily food intake and eat right kinds of fat. This is important not only for the weight loss but for a maintenance of good health as well.