A Healthy Choice in Dieting: Low Fat, High Fiber Diet
Creating a low fat, high fiber diet usually just takes the individual making a few small changes to their choices in food and how they prepare their meals. Often, these low fat diet menus consist of taking the foods that the individual already enjoys, reduces the amounts of foods that contain harmful fats, changes the oils used to cook those foods, and adds more of the vegetables and fruits that contain high fiber content to create the low fat, high fiber diet. Many people worry that creating this type of diet will reduce their enjoyment of the foods that they eat. Nothing could be further from the truth. These diets are very flavorful and only require the individual to become educated on the types of foods and ways to prepare them that will create this type of diet without sacrificing taste.
Benefits
There are many benefits of a low fat, high fiber diet, such as preventing constipation, helps reduce the effects of digestive disorders, lowers blood cholesterol, and may also help to prevent colon cancer and other types of cancers, although the research is still unclear. In addition, a low fat, high fiber diet can help people with diabetes since it helps to control the blood sugar levels which are so dangerous to those with the disease. In addition, because the high fiber foods require more chewing time in most cases, the individual often does not eat as much, feeling full more quickly, which helps in weight loss. These foods are also usually lower in calories which also help individuals to control their weight while still maintaining a healthy body.
Creating a low fat, high fiber diet can start with a few simple changes. One change is in the way that the foods are cooked, using cooking sprays instead of cooking oils or other fats as much as possible. The choice in meats should also be as lean as possible, removing skin from chicken before cooking, cutting off extra fat on steaks, using fish as much as possible, and buying hamburger that is as lean as possible. Grilling meats is another good way to reduce fat because all of the fat drips off the meat while cooking instead of soaking into it. High fiber can be gained by buying cereals and breads that are made of whole grain rather than processed grains. Green leafy vegetables like spinach are also full of fiber, in addition to different types of beans and nuts.
June 15 2009 11:00 pm | Low Fat Diet