Why Live Large: Live Healthy

Simple Changes to Make a Low Fat Diet Menu

Whether an individual is trying to lose weight or not, learning to create a low fat diet menu is an important skill to living a healthy lifestyle. There are simple ways to create this type of a menu and it does not require sacrificing taste to do it. There are many different websites and cookbooks on the market today that can also help each individual create the best low fat diet menu for them.

Reducing Fat and Preserving Taste

Many individuals who love eating meat fear that creating a low fat diet will mean that they have to cut it out altogether or that they will not be able to create their favorite dishes. There are simple ways to reduce the fat content in meat so that the same cuts can be used and the dishes can be created. With chicken, the main way to use it in a low fat diet menu is to not use the skin when cooking it. Although the skin helps to keep the meat moist while cooking, it adds extra fat to the meat which is not needed or healthy. Instead of keeping the skin on, individuals can still maintain the moistness of the meat by using a non-fat marinate while cooking, adding more of the marinade throughout the cooking process to keep the meat moist as well as flavorful. Also, not using the skin does not mean that breaded chicken is lost forever in a low fat diet menu, it merely means that there will not be skin under the crispy breading. The chicken can be cooked with the breading in the oven or by frying it in a pan with low fat cooking oil.

For red meats which are higher in fat and cholesterol, it is important to find the leanest cuts of meat possible and to reduce the amount of red meat eaten in a low fat diet menu. Trimming off the fat from all types of meat is important since it is not healthy or needed in the diet. Also, substituting turkey burger instead of hamburger is a way to reduce fat without sacrificing taste. If hamburger is desired, the leanest type should be bought, with a ten percent fat content at the highest and all excess grease drained off before using the burger in dishes after browning it.

Dairy products are also high in fat, so buying low fat or non fat dairy items is another way to reduce fat in a low fat diet menu. This allows individuals to still use these items in their dishes but it can drastically reduce the fat in their diet.

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.