What Are the Side Effects of a Low-Fat Diet?

Your Low Fat Diet Could Be Doing More Harm Than Good!

When you think about weight loss or dieting, you might assume that consuming fat-free or low-fat food will help. But, there are real dangers of low-fat diets. The fact is, when you remove fats, you just end up supplementing them with saturated fats.

Are you treating your body right by lowering fats in your food? Most will nod in agreement, but little do you know that consuming fats doesn’t necessarily make you fat. Fats are, in fact, very important for your brain tissues and they also help you digest carbohydrates. Regular consumption of a low-fat diet can put your health at risk. However, it doesn’t mean that your diet should be high in fats either. It should be properly balanced.

Side Effects of a Low-fat Diet

1. You End Up Consuming Bad Fat

This is one of the most controversial of low fat diet consequences. When monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are removed from food, something needs to be added to make food taste good. Think chocolate ice cream or cheese. Fats contain lipids that make food taste wonderful and when you eliminate them from your diet, you end up trying to compensate for the taste with corn syrup, sweeteners and salts that your body definitely doesn’t require.

2. Your Body Lacks Proper Nutrition

What is a low-fat diet? It’s a diet where you consume ‘something’ in the place of fats. Unfortunately, that something is usually not high in nutrition. You probably consume more carbs and proteins now, which may lead to health problems. Keeping a balance of all three of these macronutrients is the right way to go.

3. Your Low-Fat Diet Could Contribute to Weight Gain

Fats are filling and satisfy our taste buds for a longer duration. When you cut them from your diet, you end up getting hungry more frequently so you tend to gulp down more snacks, which means you consume more calories. Carbohydrates then release insulin, which in turn increases fat storage. The end result is weight gain.

Your low-fat diet could contribute to weight gain

4. Good Cholesterol Levels Drop

The cholesterol present in our body needs a lot of good fats. When your diet is too low on these, the body fails to release HDL, which is good cholesterol. This can cause problems that can lead to heart disease, depression, and even suicidal tendencies! These low-fat diet risks are just not worth the bother and can easily be avoided by consuming good quality fats such as grass-fed butter and egg yolks.

5. You Could See an Increase in Blood Sugar Levels

The dangers of a low-fat diet include having blood sugar levels spike up. Carbohydrates need fats to be able to be digested. Decreased fat and increased sugar result in glucose flowing through the blood stream, causing higher sugar levels.

Considering the disadvantages of a low-fat diet, stop eliminating this vital nutrient from your meals. Balance everything with other essential nutrients and give your body what it needs. You can start by using coconut oil or oils from nuts and seeds. Avocados, fatty fish, soy milk, tofu and peanut butter are also excellent sources of good fats. Bad fats to avoid include packaged snacks, fried foods, ice cream and fatty cuts of meat. Consume them in moderation and increase your intake of good fats to keep health in check.

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