The Athlete

Low Fat Diets

A long-term low fat diet (not a crash diet) will help reduce the chances of heart disease, which will overtake smoking as the number one killer in America sometime before the year 2007. Low fat diets, whether for sports nutrition or just for overall health, also help reduce the risk of diabetes, some forms of cancer, and even impotence. On top of these wonderful health benefits, most people who go on a safe low fat diet for extended periods of time have more energy and feel better about themselves.

While a low fat diet is great, if it is used for the purposes of sports nutrition or training for a big event, its important to remember to maintain proper levels of caloric intake. A low fat diet does not mean that you starve yourself, it simply means that fatty food are reduced or eliminated from your diet entirely. If you starve yourself, you can suffer a variety of symptoms attributed to rapid caloric decrease. Load up on healthy, non fat foods.

Also, certain fats are not as harmful for you as other fats. Naturally occurring fats, such as fats found in dairy products, milk, and fish are better for you than saturated, processed fats found in the usual suspects like potato chips, candy bars, and salty snacks. So, if you must have some fat in your diet, choose unprocessed, unrefined foods.

Low fat diets are an important part of sports nutrition and over the long term, will help your performance and make you a healthier person. They can require a lot of discipline, especially if you're accustomed to eating vast quantities of sugary sweets and fast foods. But look at it this way; you'll feel better about yourself, be more attractive, be healthier, and reduce your risk of a variety of diseases. And that's not even taking into consideration the effect that a low fat diet will have with regards to sports nutrition.

If you've been thinking of starting a diet, and you're confused by the dozens of diets on the market, a simple low fat diet that safely reduces your level of fat intake is an excellent place to start. While consulting a registered dietician or a family physician never hurts, there is no real risk of going on a low fat diet, as long as you don't starve yourself and your body still gets the right amount of energy that it needs to perform everyday tasks. It's important to remember that you must replace the energy you formerly took from fat, and find new foods that will help maintain an adequate level of calories for your body.