Fat on a Low Carb Diet

There are three main macronutrients, protein, fat and carbohydrates, that provide you with the energy and calories your body requires. While more than 50 percent of the calories consumed on a standard American diet are provided by carbohydrates, that dips to less than 20 percent on a low-carb diet. And some low-carb programs even recommend limiting carbs to less than 5 percent of your calories, at least during the initial phase, to promote faster weight loss and eliminate carb cravings more effectively. A well-planned low-carb diet should encourage you to consume a moderate amount of protein and high amount of fat.

The Theory Behind Low-Carb Diets

The theory behind a low-carb diet is that carbohydrates, by raising your blood sugar levels and stimulating the release of insulin from your pancreas, promote fat storage. According to this theory, again, lowering your carb intake reduces your insulin levels and makes it easier for your body to not only stop storing fat, but to burn it, both from your diet and from your body fat stores, as a primary source of energy. Increasing your fat intake when following a low-carb diet helps your body switch to fat-burning mode more quickly, which will help you have enough energy and start losing weight.

Satiety

Low-fat diets are not satisfying and not likely to be successful in the long term, according to endocrinologist Dr. Eric Westman, based in Durham, North Carolina, and co-author of the 2010 book, "The New Atkins for a New You." In a study, obese men felt more satiated and satisfied with their diet when their carb intake corresponded to 4 percent of their calories and their fat intake to about 65 percent, as published in the January 2008 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."

Heart Health

Fat phobia is very common and many a low-carb dieter fears adding more fat to his diet because he is afraid of the consequences to his heart health. However, a recent meta-analysis regrouping data from over 347,747 individuals followed up over periods ranging between five and 23 years reported that saturated fats are no longer associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular or coronary heart diseases, as published in January 2010 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Have your blood cholesterol levels checked before and after increasing your fat intake to see the impact of your diet.

Another study using a low-carb, high-fat diet in a group of overweight participants showed that this way of eating resulted in greater decrease in their triglycerides and larger increases in their HDL cholesterol levels compared to the group following a low-fat diet, according to the May 2004 issue of "Annals of Internal Medicine."

If you prefer, you can increase your fat intake by using unsaturated fats like olive oil, canola oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and their butter. Trans fat from hydrogenated oils and shortening should be avoided completely because of their deleterious impact on your heart health.

Adding Fat to Your Low-Carb Diet

There is no need to limit your fat, or saturated fat, intake while following a low-carb diet, according to Dr. Jeff S. Volek, from the University of Connectictut, as explained in the paper in "Nutrition & Metabolism" in August 2005. Don't restrict yourself to lean cuts of meat and choose full-fat cheeses. If you are in the weight loss phase, add 1 to 2 tbsp. of fat, such as butter, cream, oils, mayonnaise or salad dressings, to each of your meals. You can also add bacon, avocado and nuts to increase your fat intake. During the weight maintenance phase, you can increase your fat intake until your weight stabilizes. Consult your doctor before getting started to get some blood work done before and after modifying your dietary habits and see how your low-carb, high-fat diet will impact your health.

References

• "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The Case for Not Restricting Saturated Fat on a Low Carbohydrate Diet; Jeff S. Volek, et al.; August 2005
• "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies Evaluating the Association of Saturated Fat with Cardiovascular Disease; Patty W Siri-Tarino, et al.; January 2010
• "The New Atkins for a New You"; Eric C. Westman et al; 2010
• "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effects of a High-Protein Ketogenic Diet on Hunger, Appetite, and Weight Loss in Obese Men Feeding Ad Libitum; Alexandra M. Johnstone, et al.; January 2008
• "Annals of Internal Medicine"; A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet to Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia; William S. Yancy Jr. et al; 2004