Most fruits and vegetables contain little or no fat, but other foods such as meat, oils, dairy products and baked goods may be high in fat. Replacing high-fat foods with lower-fat foods is a good way to lose weight and develop healthy dietary habits. When adapting to a low-fat diet, it is helpful to make changes slowly. For instance, start by swapping full-fat milk with 2 percent milk before gradually switching to fat-free milk, suggests the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
Low-Fat Foods
There are many lower-fat alternatives to high-fat foods, which may be included as part of a low-fat diet. Choose from low-fat cold cuts, low-fat hot dogs, extra-lean ground beef instead of regular, poultry without the skin, meat with the fat trimmed away and water-packed tuna instead of oil-packed. Rice, noodles and marinara pasta are low-fat alternatives to pasta with cheese sauce. Swap full-fat dairy products for lower-fat versions. Lower-fat baked goods include hard French rolls, bagels, and low-fat crackers and cookies, notes the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
Food Preparation
Consider the way food is prepared when following a low-fat diet. Steaming, grilling and baking cooking methods are healthier options than frying. Choose nonstick cooking sprays rather than oils or lard, and low-fat margarine, mayonnaise and salad dressings instead of their full-fat equivalents. Consider lemon juice and wine vinegar as alternatives to regular salad dressings.
Disease Prevention
A low-fat diet is not the best way to prevent heart disease or stroke, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Although it is important to limit saturated fats and trans fats in the diet, a Mediterranean-style diet containing vegetables, fruits, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are healthy fats found in nuts, olive oil, avocados and fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines.
No-Fat Diets
Some fat is necessary to stay healthy. Young children need fat in their diets for their brains and nervous systems to develop properly; this is why toddlers are given whole milk, which contains more fat than reduced-fat milk. It is also unhealthy for adults to cut out fats completely. Dietary fat provides energy and is important for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A and D. Fat is also needed for hormone production and nervous system tissue insulation, says KidsHealth. However, a diet high in good fats can still lead to weight gain, therefore healthy fats found in lean meat, fish and plant oils should account for no more than 30 to 35 percent of calories in the diet, says the University of Maryland Medical Center.
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