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Low fat diet menu     

Low fat diets are known to be more effective than the usual diets when it comes to weight loss as they not only help in losing weight but following a low fat diet menu also helps in maintaining the weight loss. Low fat diet menus and low fat diet recipes basically consist of foods that are filling and very bulky such as fruits, whole grains and vegetables. These foods tend to have a lower caloric value than those foods that usually contain a high amount of fats. Low fat diet tips also serve an important purpose of lowering the risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease which if not checked can be fatal or life threatening. Low fat weight loss recipes   are aimed to ensure that of the total calorie intake required by an individual 25- 30 % if the calories are derived from fats as this ensures that the low fat diet menu is not extremely bland or tasteless which may also result in the person getting de-motivated or uninterested in the diet after some time.
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One of the primary aims of any low fat diet menu is to ensure that the fat content in the foods that are consumed is kept low. One of the best low fat diet tips is to bake, steam or grill the food as far as possible so as to avoid the use of harmful vegetable oils and also to retain as much nutrients as possible in the foods which may have been lost on account of over cooking. Saturated fats are those fats that come from animal sources such as butter, egg yolks and cheese. A low fat diet menu should be designed in such a manner that less than 25 percent of fats in ones diet should come from saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats tend to increase the levels of good cholesterol in the body and lower the levels of bad cholesterol in the body and hence should be the main source of fats in low fat diet menus. On the other hand polyunsaturated fats usually come from vegetable sources and are found in a liquid state at room temperature. One of the best such polyunsaturated fats is olive oil. These fats tend to lower the levels of both the bad and the good cholesterol and hence should comprise of not more than 10 percent of one’s calorie intake as part of a low fat diet. Low fat diets are typically recommended by doctors and dieticians to those individuals who tend to have very high levels of blood cholesterol. To follow a low fat diet one needs to be completely aware of what they are eating and get into the habit of checking the labels on the food for the details on cholesterol and fat content. One should also be aware of hidden fats that are usually found in various processed foods such as cakes, cookies, crackers etc. The next step towards lowering the blood cholesterol levels via a low fat diet is to substitute foods that are high in fats for those that are low in fat and cholesterol. Instead of choosing one should also increase the consumption of foods that are high in complex carbohydrates such as beans, vegetables, whole grains etc as they are rich in fibers and starch which promote good health of the digestive system. One should also evaluate their progress while following a low fat diet menu by monitoring their cholesterol levels from time to time by a professional. Ones primary goal in taking up a low fat diet is to have a steady and gradual lowering of the ldl cholesterol levels as well as the total cholesterol.

Submitted on September 25, 2010
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