Down Mulberry Lane

Healthy Bodies: Low-Fat Diet

At the health meetings I attended with Dr. Diehl, I learned alot about what fat in your diet will do to your overall health.  I'm a nurse and have taken nutrition and I've also had classes on treating heart disease and learned all about those fats... but I never really applied them to me... because I wasn't sick with heart disease.  (sad, I know). 

Anyways, one of the facts he gave us was that most men and women on the SAD diet (standard american diet) have at 40yo... at least a 40-50% closing of the arteries.  He mentioned some signs of closing arteries that one might experience.  A heavy sluggish feeling after a meal.  When out working, you just feel a bit more exhausted after a high fat meal.  The reason is simple your blood gets thick with the fat in your blood and it doesn't move as well. 

He said that the American Heart Association suggests a 30% fat in your diet (may actually be lower... I'm trying hard to remember, but it is quite high actually).  They are finding that this number really does nothing to reverse heart disease, and it can actually keep the disease progressing. 

But they have found that a diet between 15-20% fat will help to reverse heart disease... meaning eating less fat will actually help one to clear their arteries that have been closing in diameter over these years of eating a high fat diet.  Exciting news, eh?  He said that reversal of the disease happens in over 80% of those that eat a lower fat diet.  

I'm looking back over my family's health history and I know that my grandmother had a stroke, my grandfather a heart attack, another grandfather had a heart attack.  Steve's family has about the same history... SOOO... I'm thinking a lower fat diet is especially needed in our own lives to prevent heart disease.  

So, what does that mean, to eat a low fat diet?  How many grams of fat?  How does one measure it?  While it is somewhat complicated to figure out... mathematics and converting % of calories to fat calories to fat grams... well... for different people it also means different things.  There are several categories to which body sex and size and activity level can give us some estimates.  

I found in one of my cookbooks a chart of some sort for figuring out the most common levels.  The cookbook is More Choices for a Healthy Low-fat You, written by Cheryl Thomas Peters and James A. Peters, both are dieticians and He is a MD as well.  So, when I look at the charts... I feel comfortable with the suggestions.

What this means for me!  A 1200 calorie diet is the lowest amount recommended to maintain nutritional adequacy.  That calorie level is appropriate for weight loss.  I will tell you people... that isn't alot of food!  Especially if you are eating a lot of processed foods!  The fat level of this diet is 14%, which then equals about 27 grams of fat.  

It is not practical for me to count every calorie, nor is it practical for me to know how much fat is in everything... SOOO, what I am doing is keeping a food diary.  I am charting what calories and fats I can account for, but the rest... fruits and veggies... I am basically eating free will.  My challenge currently is to reduce fat in our daily diet and to eat a bit lighter than we are used to.  I think just watching these two items will help me to gain better health by losing weight and reducing fat deposits in my veins... which I'm sure I have knowing my past diet.   I also realize that as I add more activity back into my lifestyle, I may need additional calories.  So I am happy to keep my levels between the 1200 and 1500 caloried level.  If I can maintain that, I am sure that I will continue to lose weight.  The more 1200 days, the more quickly my weight loss will be.  *Ü*

I thought I'd share some of the other notes about different diets...

1500 calorie diet: 16% fat/35 grams  - recommended for weight loss for most men.  Appropriate for weight maintenance for sedentary women and some older adults.

1800 calorie diet: 20% fat/ 40 grams - recommended for weight loss for some men, especially active men.  It is also recommended for more active women for weight maintenance.

2200 calorie diet:  recommended for most children, teenage girls, active women, and sedentary men.  Women who are pregnant or nursing may need more calories.

2500 calorie diet:  Recommended for teenage boys, active men and some very active women.  

So if you are wondering how to figure that fat% in your diet.  Pick your fat percent you are aiming for ... between 15 and 20% of your diet is healthiest to maintain.  You can go lower... and some do quite well, but that is eating almost a pure diet with no added fat.  Pick the calorie diet that seems most appropriate for you.  Take the total calories and multiply by the percent of fat that you will allow in your diet.  Then take that amount and divide it by 9 (which is the amount of calories in one gram of fat).   Your total will now reflect how many grams of fat you can include in your diet.      Now when you read labels, you'll have to remember one simple thing.  The total fat is the number you are using and you must look at how much you are eating... if you are eating two servings worth, you need to double that fat amount listed in the label. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

As for me, I've been trying to eat lower fat, but today is my first food diary day.  I've ate breakfast and lunch and I've already consumed quite a bit.  It sure doesn't take long to get to 1200 calories!  As for the fat in my diet, that is getting easier.  I am well below half of my fat intake for the day, so I am pleased! 

Wishing you all good health!  Warmly, ~Melissa

I'm with you all the way....

3:32 PM, July 2, 2008 .. Posted by safords

I've been mainly eating out of the garden plus fruit and well cooked simple legumes and grains for a few weeks. I feel great!!! I have lost a few pounds...not a lot yet, but a few. I made no comments... just have been preparing the food from the garden and the kids were so excited to eat out of the garden they didn't even notice the simpleness of everything until just two days ago... they were starting to crave some protein LOL! They knew the Natural Food truck was coming to town (they didn't know I forgot to order) and they were dreaming of Morning Star corn - dogs and breakfast links. I don't buy the processed soy products often, but I guess I should have bought a case of corn dogs and a case of links to keep them from feeling deprived. LOL. I haven't even been eating bread or missing it but I do make burritos with vegetables and tofu. The problem with us is we do a lot of social eating... and even though our friends pretty much eat like we do, sometimes the urge to eat because everybody else is eating is rather strong...even when I am not hungry. I don't tend to need the evening meal. I can easily skip it when I am home, but that's when a lot of socializing happens around here.

Edited by safords on July 2, 2008 at 3:32 PM