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Low Fat Diets
Low Fat Diets
Low-fat diets are the stereotypical diet. They endorse eating less high-fat foods, such as junk food, and more foods such as fruits and vegetables. They rose to prominence in the 1980s as a result of the obesity epidemic.
At its core, the low-fat diet is simple—just eat less fat. The average person’s diet is 34 percent fat, and 12 percent of that is still saturated fat. This is significantly higher than guidelines established by the American Heart Association, which recommends that at most 30 percent of a diet should be fat. This high fat count leads to obesity, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks. Choosing low-fat foods such as lean meats, whole grains and vegetables will not only be healthier, but helps dieters feel full for a longer amount of time.
However, low-fat diets do have significant drawbacks. Low-fat foods are usually replaced with high-carbohydrate foods, which are consumed for energy. However, refined carbohydrates lead the body to easily extract energy from them in the form of glycogen, while excess glycogen stores are stored as fat. This may lead to high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Another significant criticism is that fats are not universally bad. Omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats may lead to a healthier cardiovascular system, and the body actually needs certain fats to function. The body needs fat to absorb vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K, all of which are fat-soluble.
However, a low-fat diet is still something to aspire to, even if it can be overdone. Saturated fats should be avoided, as they raise cholesterol levels. These can be found in red meat and whole milk and dairy products. Polyunsaturated fats should also be avoided, although they are more healthful than saturated fats. These can be found in corn oil and sunflower oil, both of which can easily be replaced by olive oil.
Trans fats are the main fat to avoid. They have come under serious attack in the media in the last year, and with good reason. Trans fats can elevate people’s risk of heart attacks, and contributes significantly to high cholesterol. In addition, its linkage to cancer, diatbetes, liver failure and obesity make it one of the prime targets of any low-fat diet.
Instead, followers of low-fat diets should eat cornmeal, pitas and oatmeal for grains and seek out nonfat dairy products. White meats such as chicken and oily fish such as tuna and halibut are also perfect substitutes for red meat when on a low-fat diet.
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