The Low Fat Diet

The low fat diet became a fad because it was supposed to be good for both your waistline and your health. There is truth to this. However, as we write about the low calorie diet, beware the pitfalls.

Your Waistline

Consider these points:

The caloric value of any diet is the single most important factor for weight loss.
A gram of fat contains more than twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate.
It's easy to see why a low fat diet is good for weight loss. A little less fat means a lot less calories. Plus the fact that most people eat far more fat than is good for their waistline or their health.

But the problem with counting fat intake alone is that while it doesn't eliminate any particular foods, it also doesn't ensure that you are eating a healthy diet. Or even a low calorie diet.

The low fat diet fad filled supermarket shelves with low fat and fat-free products, and you still find many on the shelves today. We are not suggesting that these products are not better for you than their full-fat counterparts, but you need to be careful.

Many fat-free products have been filled with sugar (and salt) to replace the flavor that was lost when the fat was removed. Whatever you're eating, the formula stays the same: Consume more calories than you burn and you will gain weight. So simply counting fat intake won't do the job.

Your Health

While you should limit foods high in saturated fat, fat is necessary to maintain a healthy body. Many people eat too much of the bad fats, but also eat too little of the good fats required for optimal health. So your health is another reason why simply counting fat intake won't do the job.

You will learn more about the different types of fat and which are better for you in Good Fats and Bad Fats.

Conclusion

Many people jumped on the fat-free bandwagon thinking they could eat all the fat-free food they wanted. They gained weight, and their health suffered, too.

Eating less fat would probably be good for most people. But to lose weight, sustain weight loss, and be healthy, you must also be careful about the quality of the food you eat.