A low-fat diet contains approximately 20 percent of total calories from fat, according to MayoClinic.com. Low-fat diets have often been recommended to aid weight loss. But there are some medical conditions that also require a decrease in fat intake, including gall bladder disease, delayed gastric emptying and diarrhea. Choosing healthy, whole foods can help make meal preparation easy when following a low-fat diet.
Breakfast
Food labels can help you find low-fat foods. Look for items that contain 0 to 3g of fat per serving. An easy, low-fat breakfast may consist of a bowl of whole-grain cereal with skim milk and a banana. You can also have a toasted whole wheat bagel with fat-free cream cheese and a glass of orange juice. Make a low-fat omelet with three egg whites, 1/2 cup of leftover vegetables and one slice of fat-free cheese. Serve with a toasted whole wheat English muffin with jelly and fat-free margarine.
Lunch
Stock your kitchen with low-fat and easy to prepare foods. Low-fat items include whole wheat pasta, instant brown rice, potatoes, dried herbs and spices, low-sodium broth, frozen vegetables, carrots, salsa, fresh fruit, fat-free cheeses, pre-mixed salad greens, balsamic vinegar and fat-free salad dressings. An easy low-fat lunch meal may include a ham sandwich--use 95 percent fat-free luncheon meat--on whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato and mustard. Serve with fat-free yogurt and an orange. You can also have a bowl of fat-free broth-based soup--such as chicken noodle--with saltine crackers, fat-free string cheese and a tossed salad with fat-free salad dressing. An entree salad also makes an easy low-fat lunch. Use pre-mixed greens and top with grilled chicken breast or salmon and fat-free salad dressing. Serve with a pear and a whole wheat roll.
Dinner
Meat choices and preparation can be a source of fat in the diet. Choose lean cuts of meat such as white meat skinless poultry, fish, lean pork chops, beef eye of round and lamb chops. Before cooking, trim any visible fat, and use low-fat cooking methods such as broiling, steaming and baking. An easy dinner meal may include a baked chicken breast served with a baked potato with fat-free sour cream, steamed broccoli and a tossed salad with fat-free salad dressing. You can also make a pasta primavera with whole wheat pasta, cooked shrimp and frozen mixed vegetables, and add some fat-free marinara and a sprinkling of fat-free Parmesan cheese. You can also bake pork chops and serve with brown rice, steamed green beans and unsweetened apple sauce.
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