What is a low-fat diet
This nutritional system is especially suitable for people over 55 years of age. During such a diet, you will have to exclude animal fats. Vegetables, in turn, are not prohibited, but only in limited quantities. The priority will be protein foods, all kinds of vegetables and fruits.
However, some experts recommend completely removing fat from the diet, while others limit themselves to more precise figures (5-12 percent). But what can the complete exclusion of necessary elements involved in many construction functions lead to? Most likely, to disastrous results. Fats are a source of Omega-3 and Omega-6. They are also integral components of metabolism, and without them some vitamins cannot be absorbed in the body. In addition, it is difficult to imagine creating a diet without fats, since they, even in tiny quantities, are present in most foods.
Principles
During such a diet, you will have to forget about meat containing a large amount of fat (pork, lamb, wild animals). You should also not eat the offal of animals and birds, as these products contain large amounts of cholesterol. All sausages and lard should also be left out of the diet of a person who is going to stick to a low-fat diet. There are many more such principles.
Sea fish, which contains many useful substances, cannot be consumed in this food system, since fats harmful to the figure were found in it.
Dairy products containing a large proportion of fat, vegetable oils, seeds and nuts should be excluded from the diet.
Prohibited elements of the diet include flour and sweet delicacies, all fried foods, and various sauces.
But foods high in protein should prevail in a low-fat diet for weight loss. The menu includes complex carbohydrates to maintain the body's energy.
Fiber is the main delicacy of this nutrition system, both soluble and not:
- bran;
- fruits and berries (but not bananas or grapes);
- vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, spinach and many others);
- all the greens.
Desserts will include all kinds of jams and preserves, but for drinks it is better to drink green tea and very rarely black tea without sugar and milk.
It is advisable to eat 5 times a day. Products must be steamed or blanched. You should eat no more than 500 grams at a time.
Products for a low fat diet
- So, during the diet you can eat lean beef, veal, horse meat, lamb, chicken and game. In this case, the meat is only boiled, baked or grilled, but in no case in a frying pan with oil.
- You can eat lean fish - trout, pike, perch, flounder, cod, prepared in the same way.
- Allow yourself wholemeal bread, any vegetables, mushrooms, various fruits (try to avoid those with high sugar content), as well as unsweetened tea and coffee.
- Animal fats are prohibited. Try to keep your consumption of vegetable fats to a minimum.
- You should not eat pork, lamb, goose, duck or any fatty meat. Giblets (tongue, liver, heart, kidneys) are prohibited.
- Eliminate any sausages from your diet - they contain too much fat and few nutrients.
- Avoid fatty fish, for example: carp, herring, eel, salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, any caviar.
- Milk and dairy products can only be consumed low-fat. Cheese is excluded. Eggs are strictly without yolks.
- Beans are prohibited, as well as soybeans, any nuts, including almonds, chocolate, cocoa, sugar-containing products - jam, jam, candies.
- Also, during the diet, refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages: alcohol is high in calories and, in addition, can have a fatal effect on a weakened body.
Menu options
With a low-fat diet, this is the menu for a week that is possible with this nutrition system:
Monday.
Breakfast:
- barley porridge;
- chicken eggs;
- freshly squeezed orange juice.
Dinner:
- buckwheat porridge;
- boiled chicken;
- vegetable salad of tomatoes and cucumbers;
- green tea without sugar.
Dinner:
- kefir;
- cottage cheese;
- tea.
Tuesday.
Breakfast:
- omelette;
- whole wheat bread;
- tomato juice.
Dinner:
- vegetable soup without meat and potatoes;
- boiled breast;
- buckwheat porridge;
- a slice of bran bread.
Dinner:
- cottage cheese casserole;
- green tea.
Wednesday.
Breakfast:
- curdled milk;
- apple;
- chicory drink.
Dinner:
- steamed turkey fillet;
- steamed vegetables;
- rosehip decoction.
Dinner:
- broccoli cooked in the oven with cheese;
- egg;
- tea with mint.
Thursday.
Breakfast:
- oatmeal with apple and cinnamon;
- fresh juice.
Dinner:
- pumpkin soup with sesame seeds;
- boiled chicken breast;
- green tea.
Dinner:
- steamed turkey;
- stewed carrots;
- fruit drink
Friday.
Breakfast:
- toast with cheese, egg and tomato;
- Orange juice.
Dinner:
- baked river fish;
- boiled rice;
- compote without sugar.
Dinner:
- low-fat cottage cheese with unsweetened fruits;
- green tea.
Saturday.
Breakfast:
- baked potatoes filled with cottage cheese;
- fruit drink
Dinner:
- steamed veal;
- vegetable salad;
- green tea.
Dinner:
- fish cutlets;
- steamed broccoli;
- compote without sugar.
Sunday.
Breakfast:
- muesli topped with low-fat yoghurt;
- pear;
- tea.
Dinner:
- boiled chicken breast;
- buckwheat porridge;
- fresh vegetables;
- fruit drink
Dinner:
- omelette;
- vegetable salad;
- green tea.
Menu with 3 options for breakfast, lunch and dinner
| Breakfast 1 • 1/2 cup whole grain oatmeal • 2 tbsp. spoons raisins • 1/4 cup skim milk • 1 cup orange juice Boil oats in a little water, add milk and cinnamon, if desired. | Breakfast 2 Prepare a green smoothie • 1 serving spinach • 1 serving Romaine lettuce • 1 banana • 1 apple • 1 cup orange juice • 1/2 cup yogurt Mix all ingredients in a blender. |
| Breakfast 3 • 1 glass of milk • 1/2 banana • 2 tbsp Chia seeds • 1/2 tsp cinnamon • handful of frozen berries • 2 tbsp. tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder • stevia to taste Soak Chia seeds in milk for 10 minutes. Beat all ingredients in a blender until smooth. | Lunch 1 Chicken salad • 85-100 gr. boiled chicken breast • 1 tomato • 1/2 red pepper • 1/2 green pepper • green onions • fresh cilantro • avocado slice • 1/4 cup yogurt Cut all ingredients into cubes, mix, pour over yogurt, add lime juice, sprinkle with croutons whole grain bread. |
| Lunch 2 Quinoa and Black Bean Salad • 1/2 bunch lettuce • 1/2 cup cooked black beans • 1/2 red pepper • 1 cup raw broccoli • 1 tomato Mix lime juice with a pinch of cumin and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Sea salt to taste. | Lunch 3 Skinless chicken baked with apple and vegetables 1 cup yogurt |
| Dinner 1 • 1/2 cup brown rice (boiled) • serving of cooked black beans • tofu • fresh cilantro • 2 tbsp. spoons of low-fat sour cream • green onions • a small piece of avocado • lime juice Mix all ingredients, pour over juice. | Dinner 2 Baked potatoes • 2 pcs. medium sized potatoes • asparagus • green peppers • green onions • 1 tomato • 2 tbsp. spoons of low-fat sour cream Bake potatoes with vegetables and sour cream. |
| Dinner 3 Baked halibut • 100g baked halibut • lemon juice • 1 baked sweet potato | For vegetarians, replace cow's milk with plant-based (soy) milk. meat and fish on tofu. |
Drinks for quick weight loss
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Contraindications
In addition to the positive results, this nutritional system can also cause harm to the body. Fats are one of the important components of our diet. They are not only a subcutaneous layer, but also a component of the strength of cell membranes, and they are also part of the brain. A deficiency of fat can negatively affect mental performance.
They play an important role in the metabolism of the human body. Well-known cholesterol helps in the formation of bile acids and hormones. In women, its deficiency can lead to infertility and prolapse of internal organs.
It turns out that a long-term diet low in fat or excluding it is not recommended at all.
Goals of a low-fat diet
This diet is aimed either at solving health problems, as mentioned above, or at putting the figure in order.
And the main task of a low-fat diet is not to harm the body. It can affect a decrease in immunity, deterioration of metabolism and cause other troubles. For a low-fat diet for weight loss, you need to competently create a menu for the week. Maintaining the ratio of beneficial elements in the diet is very important for health.
Recommendations
In the modern world, there are a large number of diets with their own principles and basics. Some recommendations can be analyzed using the example of one of them.
The founder of one of these diets is Dr. Dean Ornish. It offers an almost complete elimination of the presence of fats in the diet. Ornish divides foods into subtypes:
- those that can be consumed without any restrictions;
- which should be present in the diet in small quantities;
- strictly prohibited.
The first group includes all legumes, grains, vegetables and fruits. He lists low-fat dairy products, corn flakes, egg whites and crackers as foods that should be consumed in limited quantities. Prohibited foods include meat, butter, mayonnaise and all kinds of sauces, cheeses, egg yolks, avocados, olives and black olives. It is also strictly unacceptable to consume pure sugar and food that contains it in very large quantities. This also includes alcohol and hot spices.
That is, we can conclude that his diet is based on vegetarian products, but rare consumption of egg whites and low-fat dairy products is acceptable.
The ease of the diet is determined by the unlimited number of meals, as well as its volume, but you need to be careful and not forget about the balance of what the body takes: proteins, iron and vitamins should be normal; a deficiency of such components should not be allowed.
Protein in such a diet is replenished with legumes, and there is a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, and those that are healthy.
Dean Ornish, in his recommendations, points out that, of course, it is necessary to adhere to such a nutritional system for the rest of your life to constantly stay in shape. The results of such a diet cannot be achieved quickly, but they are stable. At first there will be a slight weight loss, but soon everything will return to normal.
This nutritional system will benefit people with coronary heart disease and become therapeutic. According to Dr. Ornish, the cholesterol and fat content in food for such health problems should be reduced immediately. And there will be two methods of treatment: strict and a little loyal, the second will be more related to prevention.
The Ornish diet is also a prevention of diseases such as:
- atherosclerosis;
- hypertension;
- diabetes and cholelithiasis;
- breast and prostate cancer.
So, when eating according to this system, you don’t have to limit yourself in the amount of food you eat, since the body still receives the bulk of calories from consumed fats, and when they are eliminated or reduced, they are replaced by proteins and carbohydrates.
Dr. Ornish’s therapeutic nutrition system looks like this:
- Consumption of foods with minimal fat content, which should be completely free of cholesterol.
- Calorie content - no more than 10 percent.
- Oils and foods of animal origin are strictly prohibited, except for low-fat dairy products and egg whites.
- The predominance of dietary fiber in food.
- Avoiding drinking alcohol and coffee.
The preventative diet looks about the same, only with a more gentle diet, where the consumption of fats is allowed.
Table of permitted and prohibited products
| Foods that should be limited or excluded from the diet: | Authorized products: |
| Canned food Sauces Egg yolks Lard, butter Trans fats Sugar Fried foods Fast food Organal meats, duck meat Bacon, brisket, sausage White flour, white bread Sweet cereals Sugar-containing drinks Hydrogenated vegetable oil Coconut, palm oil Whole milk, cheese, ice cream Processed grains Products made from processed carbohydrates that are not 100% whole wheat or grain | Fresh fruits, vegetables Skinless chicken Lean beef Fresh fish Unsaturated vegetable oils Canola, olive, corn, cottonseed, peanut oil Low-fat dairy products Lentils Tofu, low-fat cottage cheese and salt-free cheeses Seasonings Whole grain cereals Brown rice |
