Completely Fat Free Diet - Well Sort of

Eoineo

For medical reasons I have to follow a completely fat free diet. She says rolling her eyes......

I know, there's no such thing as totally fat free.

Anyway does anybody have any tips or foods that have hidden fats that I need to watch out for? I've been using spices and fresh herbs as much as I can to add flavour to steamed meats etc.

--Kaiser--

May I ask who informed you you had to follow a fat-free diet?
Fats are an essential part of your diet.

El_Dangeroso

I would get a second opinion ASAP.

You NEED fat. There's are essential fatty acids in which a deficiency has serious health consequences. Even the American heart association has raised its recommended intake of fat from 20 to 30% of calories recently based on the data showing the negative health consequences of very low fat diets (gall bladder issues, depression to name a few).

Eoineo

My GP told me to go on as low fat a diet as I could. I've got chronic gallstones and I'm waiting for them to be removed. Until then, to avoid frequent attacks I've to eliminate as much fat as possible.

I'm well aware of how dangerous it is to take fats out of your diet. Unfortunately I'm having on average 1 attack per week even on a low fat diet so I need to cut more fats. Thank goodness it's only in the short term. I'm drinking loads of water and I've increased my intake of foods that are high in pectin (e.g. pressed apple juice).

corkcomp

fruit, vegetables, lean meat, whole grains will all be pretty ok.. If you dont trust your docs advise get a second opinion but dont listen to people on the internet telling you your doc is wrong without them knowing the full facts.. hope you recover soon!

El_Dangeroso

Ah that does change things!

Well in that case, I'd stick with lean meats and vegetables with coconut oil for added fats. Wouldn't go near wholegrains personally. They're not as healthy as everyone seems to think they are.

You can use coconut oil because it is a special type of fat called a 'medium-chain-triglyceride' which doesn't require bile to be digested.

Take a little fish oil cap with food while you can't eat oily fish, the actual fat in a capsule is miniscule and you'll be getting some nutrients your diet will be lacking during this time.

Best of luck!

Redpunto

Sorry for highjacking - where would you get coconut oil, thanks?

metamorphosis

Redpunto wrote: »

Sorry for highjacking - where would you get coconut oil, thanks?

Any health shop will have it like holland and barrets/health matters etc etc

Some european and asain food markets will have it too at a cheaper price.

Redpunto

ULstudent wrote: »

Any health shop will have it like holland and barrets/health matters etc etc

Some european and asain food markets will have it too at a cheaper price.

thanks:)

EileenG

Obviously I am not telling you to do this, you need to do more research and talk to your doctor. But the reason I'm a lifetime low carber is because I have gallstones. And as long as I stay on a relatively low carb, high fat diet, I do not get attacks.

I originally started this diet to show how stupid it was, and how quickly it would bring on a gallstone attack. Ten years later, I'm still on it.

The thing about gallstones is that they are a balancing act. A high fat meal will trigger an attack, but a very low fat diet means the gallbladder is not working and gallstones have a chance to get bigger and bigger..... You need to eat frequent meals that have enough fat to keep the gallbladder working but not enough to trigger an attack. I know, not easy.

There is a strong correlation between gallstones and a diet with a lot of refined carbs. Please do a lot of research on this, it's your health, you need to pick the right lifestyle for you.

By the way, I still get phone calls from the hospital asking me when I'm going to get the gallstones out.