Is A Low-Fat Diet The Best Way To Obtain Your Ideal Weight And Give You The Health Benefits You Want?

In Western culture the term low-fat diet has come to mean a cholesterol lowering, heart healthy, fat loss diet.

Is this true and what do we mean exactly when we say low-fat?

For fans of the Pritikin Diet a low-fat diet means only 10% of calories coming from fat, with 70% coming from carbohydrate and 20% from protein. In one study those who followed the diet who had heart disease did dramatically improve their blood fats and cholesterol levels though weight loss was less dramatic in this group than in a group on a diet a bit higher in fat, who also experienced a drop in their blood fats and cholesterol levels.

The diet advocated by the Heart Foundation, contains 20-30% calories from fat sources. Various other diets advocate up to 35% calories from fat.

Healthy Weight Loss

As you can see there are differing opinions on what is an ideal fat-loss diet.

Those fat-loss diets that deliver healthy weight loss and a reduction in cholesterol levels have some interesting things in common. Regardless of which specific foods they advocate, these diets contain a high intake of green and colorful vegetables, include Omega 3 rich cold water fish, or Omega 3 rich seeds, whole unprocessed foods, limited alcohol, very limited sugar or artificial sweetener, and table salt. Other aspects vary, like the kind and amount of carbohydrate they allow, how much, if any dairy products they include, and what type of protein they include.

Worthwhile Lessons From Long-Living Populations

In different parts of the world there are places with high percentages of the population who live unusually long healthy lives - many of them are centenarians over one hundred years old!

Heart disease and obesity don't exist among these people and each of these groups have somewhat different diets: One group of healthy centenarians in California are Seventh Day Adventists, who follow a vegan diet taking no animal protein and get all the fat in their diet from Omega 3 rich seeds.

Centenarians in Okinawa, off Japan, eat no eggs and dairy, but take whole grains, lots of vegetables and fruit, a little red meat, but take generous amounts of pork, and they get their fats mainly from Omega 3 rich cold water fish.

Centenarians in Sardinia in the Mediterranean take cold pressed olive oil, fish, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, some whole grains, and enjoy very dark red wine.

Centenarians deep in the mountains of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica take an abundance of fruit, vegetables, Calcium and Magnesium rich water, a dietary staple of corn tamales (a kind of flat bread), beans, pumpkin, seeds, some eggs and dried fish.

They all keep their bodies strong with daily exercise.

When you read this information, the concept of a low-fat diet is at best somewhat confusing, given the variables in what are healthy diets around the globe.

Certainly, eating lots of processed foods with lots of processed fat content is unhealthy. However, a healthy diet is not what you would term a low-fat diet. Lets look at these proven healthy diets a little more.

Proven Healthy Eating Principles

What do all these healthy diets have in common?

• Fiber, from fruits, vegetables, seeds, beans, and grain.
• An abundance of antioxidants in the fruit and vegetables.
• An abundance of omega 3 fats.
• No processed anything and very little sugar!

The conclusion that I reach from all this is -
Rather than think in terms of following a low-fat diet, consider the following:

A diet of whole foods, with a special emphasis on:

• Mineral and antioxidant rich dark leafy greens and other colourful vegetables and fruits
• Fatty cold water fish or seeds
• No manufactured, processed or damaged fats, (e.g margarine, chemically treated oils, or deep fried foods)

And so long as you stay away from: sugar, high amounts of alcohol, salt, processed foods, and include lots of fresh vegetables especially greens, some fruit, some fish or seeds, and some legumes, and stay active, the chances of maintaining a healthy weight and preventing chronic disease remains high.

Remember - it is more about healthy foods and less about a low-fat diet to obtain your ideal weight and feel healthy and energized!