Eating a certain amount of fat is part of an overall balanced diet and healthy eating plan. When people are overweight they usually look to a completely fat free diet to lose that extra weight but that can be counter productive. If you go too far in terms of eating zero fat then you can force your body into starvation mode where it starts to use muscle tissue for energy instead of your natural fat reserves. The simple fact is that most people eat too much fat and/or too much of the wrong types of fat and that's something which you do need to change and you'll feel better for it.
For most people reducing their fat intake is part of the process of losing weight and to simply look better. But losing weight and controlling your fat intake goes beyond the simple aesthetics of looking slim. In fact having excessive amounts of fat on your body can lead to heart disease, diabetes and dramatically increase your risks of developing certain types of cancer.
There's a big, big difference between a healthy fat intake and eating large amounts of fatty foods that clog up your arteries and help you pile on the pounds for everyone to see.
But controlling the amount of fat they eat is where most people struggle and also where most people fail. The problem is that foods with fat in them taste really good and particularly fatty meats. A grilled chicken breast is tasty but a crispy chicken 3-piece with gravy tastes a whole lot better so people tend to follow their taste buds when it comes to eating.
One simple change you can make is to just use the low-fat versions of foods that you normally use. So for example instead of full fat milk you choose the low-fat variety or go even further and skimmed milk or soya milk. If you're a big fan or rice and pasta you can reduce your fat and carb intake with both of these by simply changing to whole meal varieties of pasta and rice and then same thing applies to bread – whole meal bread is simply far, far better for you than white bread. Flour isn't naturally white by the way – it's a brown color so that means white bread has been treated and added to in order to give it that color.
One of the single best ways to change yourself from a fatty diet to a low fat diet is to grill or bake all your meals. So instead of fried chicken and fries you bake some skinned and boned chicken breasts that have been sprinkled with some black pepper and lemon juice to season. Your side order is now a baked potato served with some fresh homemade salsa instead of a portion of onion rings.
By baking or grilling your meals you instantly remove all the fat or butter that they're normally fried in which means your fat intake drops dramatically and this alone can be enough to get your cholesterol back under control and you're still getting a very healthy meal that will please your taste buds too!
And if nothing else cut out all junk food and fast food from your diet. Unless the restaurant has the fat content listed for each meal then you can safely assume that your meal has been soaked and cooked in trans fats which are the worst types of fat it's possible for you to eat.
Did you know that a single large fast-food meal can account for almost 75% of your recommended calorie intake for an entire day? Yes that burger, fries and shake is so heavily soaked in trans fat and other fats that to maintain a healthy weight you'll be able to eat very little extra for that day. And the worst part? You're hungry again 2 hours after that fast-food meal right?
A healthy home cooked meal will keep you full for longer, allow you to stay in control of your fat intake and cost far, far less than the junk food you just ate for dinner.
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