What Are Some Low Fat Foods? What Are the Benefits of a Low Fat Diet? A low fat diet is one of the most commonly prescribed therapeutic diets. It can help treat a number of diseases—in fact, most people could be healthier if they ate a low fat diet. The National Center for Health Statistics says that the average American gets at least 35% of daily calories from fat. And many people eat twice as much fat as they should. A low fat eating plan includes a variety of foods every day that add up to less than 30% fat. Doctors might order a low fat diet for: · People with heart disease. · Diabetics. · People who are overweight. · People who have trouble digesting fats. · Eating a high fat diet causes “globs” of cholesterol to stick to the sides of blood vessels. This can cause serious problems like strokes, heart attacks and cancer. So, eating a low fat diet reduces the number of cholesterol “globs”. · A low fat diet can boost the immune system by increasing the number of white blood cells that fight off disease. · Eating low fat foods helps prevent gallbladder disease. · A low fat diet helps keep body weight at an ideal level. Clients on a low fat diet should eat: · Lots of fruits and vegetables. · Small portions of meat. · A bagel instead of a doughnut. · A bowl of oatmeal instead of a muffin. Therapeutic Diet #1: Low Fat Eating too much fat leads to at least 300,000 deaths every year in the United States. Page Three A Low Fat Rule: If you look at the nutrition label on a food package, there should be no more than 3 grams of fat for each 100 calories. · Steamed vegetables instead of french fries. · Low fat milk instead of whole milk. · Yogurt instead of sour cream. · Skinless, baked chicken instead of fried chicken.