Ultra-Low-Fat Diet

What is Ultra-Low-Fat Diet?

Ultra-low-fat diet is very low in fat and protein and very high in carbohydrates. It is a plant-based diet that restricts even natural foods that are high in fat.

Fat is a macronutrient that has been quoted as the main ground for several health issues. Restricting the intake of fat for weight loss, heart health, optimizing cholesterol levels, and managing diabetes is advised for decades. One such diet that has restricted less than 10% of total calories from dietary fat is the ‘Ultra-Low-Fat Diet.’

The composition of the remaining macronutrients in this diet is 10% and 80% of total calories from protein and carbohydrates, respectively. Research on this diet has portrayed double-edge effects on health.

What are the Health Benefits of Ultra-Low-Fat Diet?

Surprising health benefits have been revealed by many studies, even though the diet is very low in fat and protein. Some of the health benefits are discussed below.

Helps in Weight Loss: Reduced fat consumption and weight loss have been reported for a long time in research. A study noted that an ultra-low-fat diet aided in weight loss without a major calorie limitation. The weight loss reported from this diet may be due to the high intakes of fiber along with reducedfat.

Glycemic control: The ultra-low-fat diet may potentially help in managing diabetes due to its fat intake restriction, and increased consumption of fiber. Studies have reported that consuming a vegan diet that provides less than 10% of calories from fat, helped in reducing glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c).

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Benefits Heart Health and Lipid Profile: Restricting fat intake to lower cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular diseases has been the standard recommendation and extensive research has been conducted on the same. Studies conducted among people with coronary artery disease (CAD) following an ultra-low-fat diet coupled with intensive lifestyle treatments reported improvements in coronary angiography. This diet is also helpful in bringing down total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels, the main promoters of heart diseases. Reduction in blood pressure is also seen with the ultra-low-fat diet. The benefits of this diet on heart health owes to the increased intake of fruits and vegetables that are rich in cardio-protective nutrients like antioxidants and fiber. The diet also being diminished in cholesterol and saturated fat intake helps to manage cholesterol levels.

Effective in Rheumatoid Arthritis: There are several dietary recommendations for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) . Adding to the list is the ultra-low-fat diet. A study conducted among people with moderate to severe RA who followed a vegan diet with approximately 10% calories from fat showed improvement in symptoms, weight loss, and reduction in C-reactive protein.

Effective in Intestinal Lymphangiectasia: Intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL) represents dilated lymphatic vessels and is a protein-losing enteropathy. Animal studies have observed ultra-low-fat diets to be effective in treating IL.

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What are the Side Effects of Ultra-Low-Fat Diet?

Ultra-low-fat diet holds a bright side in health but there are also a few side effects that cannot be missed to be highlighted. Some of them are discussed below.

Altered Lipid Profile: The diet holds beneficial effects on heart health but there are adverse changes in HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides that are also reported. Reductions in HDL-cholesterol levels and an increase in triglyceride levels have been observed in this diet. Both of these outcomes can raise the bar of risk for coronary heart diseases. Exercise, in general, is believed to be beneficial to counter this effect. But in the case of an extremely low-fat diet, irrespective of exercise, negative changes in HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were seen.

Poor Weight Management: Although, a few studies have shown weight loss with an ultra-low-fat diet it is important to note that this severe restriction of calories from fat, does not help in keeping the weight loss consistent. Another study showed that better the adherence to the diet, greater the weight loss and reductions in risks for heart disease.

Nutrient Inadequacy: It is necessary to monitor nutritional sufficiency in diets that severely restrict specific nutrients. The severe restriction of fat intake may potentially lead to a deficiency in essential fatty acids.

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Ultra-Low-Fat Recipes

Most recipes of the ultra-low-fat diet are plant-based and include plenty of fruits and vegetables. Salads are refreshing and can be included in any meal of the day. Below are a few interesting recipes that can be tried when following this diet.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Ingredients: Halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped green onions, cilantro and mint leaves, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Method: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze lemon juice and mix. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Orange Pecan Salad

Ingredients: Baby spinach, Broccoli florets, freshly squeezed orange juice, pecans.

Method: Add roughly chopped spinach into a bowl. Toss in chopped broccoli to the bowl. Mix orange juice and pecans and add with other ingredients in the bowl and serve.

Ultra-Low-Fat Dill Pickle Dip

Ingredients: Fat-free cream cheese, dill pickle, onions, salt.

Method: Chop the dill pickle and onions. Mix the cream cheese and pickle juice in a bowl. Toss in the chopped dill pickles, onion, and salt, and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour for the flavors to blend.

Citrus Salad

Ingredients: Grapefruit, orange, tangerine

Method: Peel and cut the fruits into a bowl. Serve them fresh. Other citrus fruits and different varieties of oranges can also be used.

For snack, fresh fruits and vegetables like fresh strawberries, carrot-cucumber slices, plums, blueberries, and grapes can be consumed. Soups and fresh juices like tomato basil soup, cucumber soup, cabbage soup, pineapple-orange juice, and kiwi juice can also be included.

Summary

Ultra-low-fat diet has portrayed results with high and low points related to health. Studies that explored the effects of different diets found that the ultra-low-fat diet did not significantly show outstanding results when compared to others. Hence, recommending this type of diet invites clarity from more long-term efficacy studies.