Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

Resources

BOOKS
American Heart Association.American Heart Association
Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook: Delicious Recipes
to Help Lower Your Cholesterol., 3rd ed. New York:
Clarkson Potter, 2004.
Kowalski, Robert.The New 8-Week Cholesterol Cure: The
Ultimate Program for Preventing Heart Disease. New
York: HarperCollins, 2002.
Siple, Molly.Low-cholesterol Cookbook for Dummies. Indi-
anapolis, IN: Wiley Pub., Inc, 2004.

ORGANIZATIONS
American Dietetic Association. 120 South Riverside Plaza,
Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995. Telephone:
(800) 877-1600. Website:http://www.eatright.org
American Heart Association. 7272 Greenville Avenue,
Dallas, TX 75231. Telephone: (800) 242-8721. Website:
http://www.americanheart.org

OTHER
American Heart Association. ‘‘Make Healthy Food
Choices.’’ 2007.http://www.americanheart.org/
presenter.jhtml?identifier=537
Griffin, R. Morgan. ‘‘The New Low-cholesterol Diet.’’
WebMD.com September 2005.http://www.webmd.
com/solutions/sc/low-cholesterol-diet/lowering-
with-food
Harvard School of Public Health. ‘‘Interpreting News on
Diet.’’ Harvard University, 2007.http://
[http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/media.html](http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/media.html>)
Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology. ‘‘Low Cholesterol
Diet.’’ 2006http://www.gicare.pated/edtot24.htm
Mayo Clinic Staff. ‘‘Cholesterol: The Best Foods to Lower
Your Cholesterol and Protect Your Heart.’’ MayoCli-
nic.com, May 10, 2006.http://www.mayoclinic.com/
health/cholesterol/CL00002
Northwesternutrition ‘‘Nutrition Fact Sheet:Dietary Choles-
terol.’’ Northwestern University, September 21, 2006.
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/
factsheets/cholesterol.html
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ‘‘Your Guide to
Lowering your Cholesterol with TLC (Therapeutic
Lifestyle Changes).’’ December 2005.http://www
.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/chol_tlc.pdf

Tish Davidson, A.M.

Low-fat diet
Definition
Different medical organizations, governments, and
diet plans define ‘‘low fat’’ slightly different ways. In
this essay, a low fat diet is one where 30% or less of the

total daily calories come fromfats. A very low fat diet is

one where 15% or less of the total daily calories come

from fat. By comparison, in the average American diet

about 35–37% of calories come from fat.

Origins

When metabolized in the body, fats provide 9

calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram

from proteins andcarbohydrates. Because of this,

diets plans repeatedly target reduction in fats as a

good way to lose weight. Examples of low fat diets

include thePritikin dietandScarsdale diet, both pop-

ular in the 1970s, Rosemary Conley’s Hip and Thigh

Diet (late 1980s), and the Dr. Dean Ornish Diet

(2000s). Research into preventing cardiovascular dis-

ease also stimulated interest in low fat diets as a pre-

ventative health measure.

Description

Over the past three decades, thinking about fats

has changed. In the twenty-first century, all fats are

not created equal. Fats are described as either satu-

rated or unsaturated based on their chemical struc-

ture. Saturated fats are animal fats such as butter, the

fats in milk and cream, bacon fat, the fat under the

skin of chickens, lard, or the fat a piece of prime rib of

beef. These fats are usually solid at room temperature.

Exceptions are palm oil and coconut oil, which are

both liquid saturated fats. Saturated fats are ‘‘bad’’

fats. They raise the level of LDL cholesterol (‘‘bad’’

cholesterol) in the blood. High LDL cholesterol levels

are associated with an increased the risk of heart

disease.

Unsaturated fats have a slightly different chemical

structure that makes them liquid at room tempera-

tures. Unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated

fats, are ‘‘good’’ fats that help lower cholesterol levels.

Olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil are high in mono-

unsaturated fats. Corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil,

and sunflower oil are high in polyunsaturated fats.

Fish oils that are high inomega-3 fatty acidsare also

polyunsaturated and have beneficial health effects.

Another type of fat,transfat, is made by a man-

ufacturing process that creates hydrogenated or parti-

ally hydrogenated vegetable oils.Transfat acts like

saturated fat, raising the level of LDL cholesterol. It is

found in some margarines, and in many commercially

baked and fried foods. Starting in January 2006, the

amount oftransfat in processed foods must be listed

separately from total fat on food labels.

Low-fat diet