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WHAT TO HAVE INSTEAD: HEALTHY FATS
["The Best Life Diet" page 100]
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I still meet people trying to lose weight who are afraid of using any oil at all. There was some validity to the low- (or no-) fat craze that took hold several years ago; however, the pendulum swung too far. Healthy fats are an essential part of your diet not only because they provide important nutrients like vitamin E and Omega 3 fatty acids, but also because they add tremendous flavor to food and make eating more enjoyable. And because fats help slow digestion, they help you stay fuller longer, too.
However, you still have to be careful about including fat in your diet. At nine calories per gram, fat has more calories than protein or carbohydrates, which only have four each. I recommend that your fat intake be 25 percent to 35 percent of your total calories, a ratio that you'll find built into the meals on The Best Life Diet Meal Plans. Taking fried food off your menu, scaling back to nonfat or low-fat dairy, reducing the amount of oil in your salad dressings, and topping baked potatoes with salsa instead of sour cream are ways to keep your fat intake in check. And, as I've been saying, not all fats are created equal. Keep the saturated fat you get from animal foods like meat and cheese to a minimum and stick with olive and canola oils.
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