The Low Fat Diet
What is a Low Fat Diet?
The low fat diet is recommended for those who genetically have a higher absorption rate of fat from our food, or those that poorly mobilise fat from fat cells.
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As the name suggests, the diet is low in fat, with a focus on protein and complex carbohydrates as the main energy sources.
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For weight loss, it is recommended to limit your daily energy intake (kilojoules) from total fat to 20%, or for weight maintenance, limited to 30% of your daily energy intake. For an 8,500kJ diet, 20% equates to 45g fat per day (3 tbsp olive oil).
Macronutrient Breakdown
Macronutrients are our energy sources derived from food that can be categorised into fat, protein and carbohydrates. Not all macronutrients are created equal, so it is important that you source your macronutrients from healthy foods to best achieve the results that you are after.
Calculating Your Daily Energy Intake & Macros
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Calculate your daily energy requirements using the calculator link above. Expand the settings on the calculator and select 'kilojoules'.
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Once you have your 'mild weight loss' or 'weight loss' kilojoule requirements, you'll need to calculate your daily macronutrients in grams.​
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We will use a daily energy requirement of 7,524kJ as an example:
Macronutrient
% Daily Energy
Daily Intake (g)
Carbohydrates
1g carbs = 16.7kJ
50%
20%
30%
3,762kJ
= 225g carbs daily
Fats
1g fats = 37.7kJ
Protein
1g protein = 16.7kJ
1,504kJ
= 40g fats daily
2,257kJ
= 135g protein daily
You can track your daily macronutrients by entering your daily diet into the Easy Diet Diary App (linked below)​
Low Fat Diet Guidelines
The types of fat we receive from our food are saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans- fats. Fat is the densest energy source in the diet, with just 1 gram providing 37.7 kilojoules.
Fat is an excellent fuel and stored energy source for the body, plus it is very satiating due to the increased time needed for digestion. When paired with carbohydrates in the diet, fat can slow the absorption of glucose into the blood, reducing the impact on our blood sugar levels to maintain stable energy.
Some important roles of fat in the body include helping us to absorb fat soluble vitamins, they are essential to the health and structure of our cell membranes, our brain and nervous system, hormone production, regulating inflammation and blood clotting. As you can see, although it is recommended to limit your daily fat intake, they are still very much an important component of a healthy diet.
Different Types of Fats
SATURATED FAT​
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Full fat dairy (butter, milk, cream, cheese, yoghurt, ice-cream, chocolate)
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Fatty cuts of meat, chicken skin, lard
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Coconut products (flesh, milk, cream, oil, desiccated and shredded coconut).
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Saturated fat can withstand high heat for high heat cooking.
MONOUNSATURATED FAT​
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Considered the healthiest types of fat.
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Found in avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, macadamia oil and avocado oil.
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These can be heated to a medium heat on the stove, or up to 180C in the oven before reaching their ‘smoking point’, which can contribute to oxidative stress.
POLYUNSATURATED FAT
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Omega 3 ('anti-inflammatory'. Increase intake): oily fish (salmon, sardines, trout, anchovies), seafood, olive oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, grass- fed beef, pasture-raised egg yolks, grass- fed dairy.
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Omega 6 ('majority are inflammatory'. Limit intake): vegetable or canola oil, soybean oil, poultry, sesame seeds, non-grass fed animal products, grains and soy.
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Aim for a healthy ratio between omega 3 : 6
TRANS FAT​
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Include margarine, commercially baked foods and snacks, fast-food, shortening.
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Completely avoid. They contain no nutritional value and are damaging to health.
Fat in food
Limit carbohydrates to 130g per day.
Food (100g) | Carbs (g) | Fibre (g) | Food (100g) | Carbs (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kidney beans | 9g | 7g | Natural yoghurt | 4g | 0g |
Cannellini beans | 12g | 6g | Cheddar cheese | 1g | 0g |
Black beans | 13g | 9g | Cow's milk | 6g | 0g |
Lima beans | 10g | 5g | Dark chocolate | 44g | 1g |
Chickpeas | 13g | 5g | Peanut | 9g | 8.2g |
Lentils | 20g | 5g | Almond | 6g | 7g |
Tofu | 0g | 4g | Pecan | 5g | 8g |
Wholemeal pasta | 25g | 6g | Pistachio | 16g | 9g |
Wholemeal bread | 44g | 7g | Pumpkin seeds | 4g | 11g |
Brown rice | 31g | 2g | Walnuts | 3g | 6g |
Oats (uncooked) | 55g | 10g | Poppy seeds | 4g | 11g |
Millet | 22g | 1g | Brazil nuts | 2g | 9g |
Quinoa | 16g | 2g | Hazelnuts | 5g | 10g |
Buckwheat | 14g | 2g | Sunflower seeds | 4g | 11g |
Corn | 15g | 5g | Cashews | 23g | 6g |
Pumpkin | 5g | 2g | Macadamias | 4g | 6g |
Orange | 8g | 2.5g | Sweet potato | 15g | 3g |
Mango | 13g | 2g | White potato (skin on) | 13g | 2g |
Banana | 20g | 2g | Asparagus (cooked) | 2g | 3g |
Grapes | 15g | 3g | Carrot | 4g | 3g |
Plum | 7g | 2g | Beetroot | 9g | 4g |
Grapefruit | 5g | 2g | Green peas | 7g | 7g |
Lime | 1g | 4g | Tomato | 2g | 1g |
Lemon | 2g | 3g | Capsicum (cooked) | 4g | 2g |
Green apple | 11g | 2g | Zucchini | 2g | 1g |
Cherry (sweet) | 13g | 2g | Cabbage (raw) | 3g | 2g |
Raspberry | 7g | 6g | Avocado | 0.4g | 3g |
Blueberry | 11g | 2g | Brussels sprouts | 2g | 5g |
Strawberry | 4g | 3g | Spinach (cooked) | 1g | 5g |
Mandarin | 8g | 1g | Cauliflower | 2g | 3g |
Kiwifruit | 9g | 4g | Broccoli | 1g | 3g |
Pear | 13g | 4g | Red apple | 13g | 2g |
