Is a Low-Fat Diet The Right Diet for Me?

For more than 50 years, major health organizations and authorities have recommended a low-fat diet and imposed overall fat and saturated fat restrictions. But does the evidence back up these recommendations? More recent studies have begun to show cracks in the low-fat paradigm, yet recommendations haven’t budged. Is a low-fat diet truly effective for improving health, losing weight, and managing chronic disease? Let’s dive in!

What Are The Guidelines for a Low Fat Diet?

While the standard low-fat diet recommendation is 30% of total calories, some very low-fat diets may include only 15% or less of total calories from fat. The government’s saturated fat recommendation is less than 10% of total calories. 

Low-fat diets are typically recommended for weight loss and for managing chronic conditions like heart disease. Since fat contains more calories per gram compared to protein or carbohydrates, it’s thought that limiting fat will therefore limit total calorie intake and result in weight loss. And while this may work for a time, it often disregards food quality and may not get enough of the vital nutrients that healthy fats provide. 

When it comes to managing or preventing heart disease, low-fat diets are often recommended due to the belief that fat (particularly saturated fat) increases cholesterol and risk for heart disease. Think about it—you’ve probably heard more than once that fat clogs your arteries, that eggs increase your cholesterol, or that red meat is bad for you. Unfortunately, these are all oversimplifications and, for the most part, flat-out false. 

The Diet-Heart Hypothesis

The diet-heart hypothesis, or the belief that dietary fat and cholesterol-containing foods raise blood cholesterol levels, originated more than 50 years ago and has hardly been questioned since. More recent, high-quality studies suggest that this relationship simply isn’t there. 

And some studies suggest that a low-fat diet may increase heart disease risk by changing harmless large LDL cholesterol particles (particle size matters!) to more dangerous small and dense LDL particles. Additionally, low-fat diets may also decrease HDL (“good” cholesterol) and increase triglycerides, both important factors in heart disease risk. 

Is Low Carb or Low Fat More Effective?

Two common dietary interventions are low carb and low fat, but how do they stack up against one another?

While there has been very short-term research suggesting that a low-fat diet is effective for weight loss, longer-term studies all give low-carb diets the edge. The low-carb diet has several advantages outlined below and is considered more sustainable to follow for longer periods.

• Low carb diets focus more on food quality, including more protein and healthy fats like avocados, extra-virgin olive oil, grass-fed butter, nuts and seeds, and more. In contrast, low-fat diets tend to exclude nourishing whole foods (that contain naturally-occurring fat) in favor of lower-calorie packaged products. 
• Low-carb diets are more satisfying and tend to keep you full longer since protein and fat are the most satisfying macronutrients. 
• Low carb diets help decrease cravings since a balanced low carb plate leads to balanced blood sugar and more satisfaction throughout the day.

It’s also worth noting that the low-fat dietary guidelines were introduced in the 1970s and were followed by a marked increase in obesity rates and chronic conditions for the next 40+ years. While this is not necessarily a causative relationship, it does beg the question of whether or not a focus on low-fat eating came at the expense of overall health. As Americans turned to low-fat foods, they increased their consumption of carbs, sugar, and packaged products, in turn decreasing their protein and fat intake. 

What Should I Eat?

With so many different diets floating around, it can be tough to know what you should eat. While this depends on your goals and individual health status, there are some basic guidelines that we can all benefit from. The main goal? Work on balancing your plate. 

Focus on eating whole foods as close to their natural and original form as possible. Aim to eat plenty of vegetables of all forms and colors. Eat high-quality protein, and know that it’s very hard to eat too much of it. And incorporate healthy fats since they are vital for a large array of bodily functions. Focus less on limiting fat and more on eating a good mix of nutrients at each meal. 

While research continues to be done, the main goal should always be to eat real food. Eating less fat is rarely the answer to your health woes or weight loss goals. And generally speaking, limiting fat intake won’t improve your heart disease risk and may even increase it.

We hope this helps ease your mind and opens up your plate to deliciously satisfying healthy fats.