Low-carb diets can sometimes be high in fat, especially saturated fat, which can negatively affect your health. Most low-carb plans prescribe you eat between 50 and 150 g of carbohydrates per day. When you decrease the amount of calories you consume from carbohydrates, you automatically increase the amount of calories you consume from other macronutrients -- namely protein and fat. Making smart food choices can help you create a low-fat and low-carb diet.
Significance
When eating a low-carb plan, you limit your intake of grains, cereals, breads, fruits, starchy vegetables and pasta -- meaning your intake of foods such as meats, fish, dairy, oils, nuts and leafy green vegetables increases. Some of these allowed foods, namely fatty cuts of meat, bacon, cheese, cream and vegetable oil, are high in fat. While you need some fat for proper health and body function, too much may increase your risk of heart disease. You want to keep your intake of fat to between 20 and 35 percent of daily calories. A low-fat plan aims for the low end of this range.
Foods to Choose
Reach for lean proteins, such as water-packed tuna, egg whites, tilapia, shrimp, poultry breast, canned beans and tofu to limit your intake of saturated fat. Leafy greens, such as spinach, broccoli, kale and lettuce, offer few carbohydrates and no fat. Berries are a sweet addition to breakfast or snacks that contain fewer carbohydrates than many other fruits without fat. Small servings of grains, such as 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oatmeal, brown rice or quinoa, may accompany meals. Cooking them in water or chicken broth keeps their fat content to a minimum.
Strategies
Skip full-fat dressings, such as ranch or blue cheese, which are allowed on many low-carb plans because they contain significant amounts of fat. Avoid adding cheese to meals and cream to coffee; although these foods are low in carbs, they are high in saturated fat. Limit your intake of nuts to just 1 oz. per day, and when you do sauté proteins in fat, choose olive or safflower oil, which contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Sample Diet
A menu plan with 1,400 calories, 135 g of carbohydrates and just 21 percent of calories from fat begins with a scramble of five egg whites, 1 cup baby spinach, ½ cup sliced mushrooms and 1 tsp. of olive oil. Have 1 cup of raspberries alongside. For a mid-morning snack, eat 3 tbsp. of hummus with celery sticks, 1 cup of sliced jicama and a bell pepper cut into strips. At lunch, have a large salad made with romaine lettuce, 1 cup cooked chicken breast, alfalfa sprouts, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber and 1 tsp. of olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar. In the mid-afternoon, snack on 5 oz. of deli turkey and a large apple. For your dinner, broil 5 oz. of tilapia and have with 2 cups of steamed vegetables, including cauliflower, summer squash and broccoli, along with 4 oz. of boiled butternut squash.
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