Dangers of a Low-Fat Diet

In the 1990’s the Fat-Free Diet Fade struck the diet industry by surprise. The motto and diet / health mentalityof “Less is More” was taken up like it was going out of business. The food industry started making creating products appealing to this mentality by throwing in more preservatives and fake ingredients to slap a “fat-free” or “reduced-fat” label on it, making it easier for people to cut out all fats from their diet.

I have to admit, I am one that fell into this trap. I strayed far away from anything containing fats. Thanks to the diet food industry, by the end I was eating close to no fat in my daily dietary intake.

I mean, it makes sense, right?!?! Eat less fat and my body won’t put on the fat. . . WRONG! The body needs fat in order to function to its fullest. In fact, eating below the recommended daily fat intake can actually sabotage weight loss and put one’s health at risk.

Here are 6 risks of eating a low fat diet

1.) Depression

Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids play a vital role in regulating mood behavior. A diet low in fat can throw people into depression, bipolar disorders, and ADHA. Foods high in omega 3 fatty acids include fish, flex seed oil, leafy greens, and walnuts Foods high in omega 6 fatty acids include sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed, walnut and soybean oil.

2.) Poor Vitamin Absorption

Fat soluble vitamins including A, D, E, K depend on fats in one’s diet in order to be absorbed. Not getting enough fats in a diet will cause these essential vitamins to be quickly excreted without any benefit to the body leading to increased bleeding, decreased vision, poor skin, decreased bone density and teeth breakdown.

3.) Increased Risk of Cancer

The New York Times published a study showing that people increased their chances of cancer when on a low fat diet. One might think they are doing their body a favor by reducing their fat intake, but in the long run, they are going to be paying for it!

4.) Heart Disease

A decrease in fat intake causes the body to decrease in HDL (good cholesterol) which works to excrete and keep the level of LDL’s (bad cholesterol) down. This leads to high cholesterol and ultimately heart attacks, strokes, and other heart diseases

5.) Overeating

Low-Fat food products can be very sneaky! They like to play with our minds and tricks one into thinking they can eat more of it because it’s low fat. Studies show that people tend to eat more because they think they are eating “low-fat” when really these products have just as many calories, carbohydrates, and if not more sugar.

6.) Imbalanced Nutrition

When one goes down, one must come up. Decreasing fat intake forces people to compensate in other areas. People usually end up eating more carbohydrates while on a low-fat diet which has been proven to increase one’s appetite and chances of Type 2 diabetes.

Just like over eating dietary fats can lead to detrimental problems, so can under eating fats. People seem to forget that moderation is key when it comes to dietary fat intake. If this list doesn’t force you to become more aware of your dietary fat intake, than I don’t know what will!

Check out the table below to find out how many fats you should be in taking each day:

1200 Calories: 27-47 grams

1500 Calories: 33-58 grams

1800 Calories: 40-70 grams

2100 Calories: 47-82 grams

Here is a list of healthy fats to fit into your diet:

-       Nuts

-       Peanut Butter

-       Avocado

-       Fish

-       Cooking Oils

-       Olives

Remember, Moderation is Key… You don’t want to overdo it or under do it when it comes to fats

How Do You Fit in Your Daily Fat Intake Each Day?

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Tagged as: Diet, Healthy, healthy fats, low fat, Low-Fat Diet, Nutrition