For years and years, doctors and dieticians have been advocating low fat diets. They have been doing this for a very logical reason: fat has 9 kcals per gram while carbohydrates and proteins have 4 kcals per gram. In other words, fats contain more than twice the number of calories as carbohydrates or protein. Since excess weight comes from excess calories, fats make a greater contribution to weight gain.
Going to extremes, people twisted the logical idea of lowering fat intake in order to lower caloric intake, and removed all fats from their diets. Then they more than replaced them by increasing their intake of carbohydrates. Paradoxically, it's the elimination of fats that has made people fat!
Besides weight gain, there are other health consequences associated with the practice of eliminating fats. When the fats in a diet become non-existent, the diet can be unhealthy. Fats are necessary for many things. They are our only source of the fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K. Vitamin E is an antioxidant known to prevent cancer, Vitamin D is vital for healthy bones, Vitamin K is important in blood clotting and vitamin A is essential for growth. Fats also are important for synthesis of cholesterol and production of hormones as well as serving as the structural component of cell membranes. Lastly, fats are important because a little bit of fat taken with a meal will keep you feeling full for longer, since fats take longer to digest.
Overall, if your diet is too low in fats, you can have unhealthy skin and hair, as well as feeling hungry and having low energy levels.
There are two keys to successful and healthy fat-loss on the low fat diet. The first is to keep 25-30% good fats in your diet. The good fats are non-saturated, non hydrogenated fats like raw nuts, clear oils or fish fats. The second key is to keep your carbohydrates in check. It is much easier to eat two bowls of pasta than drink a cup of oil. The point is that while it may be very easy to consume lots of pasta or rice, you will have to have will power if weight loss is your goal.
The bottom line is that while the low fat diet is a good idea, the non-fat diet is unhealthy. Moderation is still the key.
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