Fat-Restricted Diet

Low-Fat Diet (50 Grams)

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA

What Is a Fat-Restricted Diet?

A fat-restricted diet limits the fat that a person can eat each day.

Why Should I Follow This Diet?

This diet may be given to people with health problems that make it hard to process fat. This includes problems like chronic pancreatitis and gallbladder disease. A fat-restricted diet will lower the side effects of fat malabsorption, such as diarrhea, gas, and cramping.

The Diet Basics

A fat-restricted diet often limits fat to 50 grams per day. Fat has nine calories per gram. So, if a person needs 2,000 calories each day, this means about 22% of those calories can be from fat. The rest should be from carbs and proteins.

Most people can meet all nutrient needs on this diet. A supplement may be needed if fat is very limited or the diet needs to be followed for a long time. Vitamins A, D, E, and K need fat to be absorbed.

Eating Guide for This Diet

This guide is broken down into categories based on the Choose My Plate website. A dietitian can help a person find out how many servings of each category to eat. Here are some tips:

The base of the diet should be grains, veggies, and fruit. Try to eat foods from these three categories at each meal. Fruits and veggies should cover half of the plate at each meal. When eating grains, choose foods made with whole grains instead of refined grains.
Limit meat, fish, poultry, and eggs to six ounces per day.
Do not eat more than three teaspoons of fat per day.
Enjoy low-fat or fat-free sweets or snack foods in moderation.
People who enjoy healthy fats (nuts, olives, and avocados), should ask their doctor or dietitian how they can be added into the diet. These foods have a lot of fat. They need to be added to the daily intake.

Food Category	Foods to Eat	Foods to Avoid
Grains	Whole-grain breads Low-fat whole-grain cereals Rice Pasta or noodles Homemade pancakes or French toast made with minimal fat Low-fat crackers Baked chips Pretzels Popcorn without butter	Fried rice Granola Biscuits Sweet rolls Muffins, scones, coffee bread, and doughnuts Most pancakes and waffles Cheese bread
Vegetables	Fresh, frozen, or canned veggies	Veggies in butter, oil, or sauce Fried veggies Mashed potatoes made with butter, margarine, or cream French fries
Fruit	Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits	Avocados, coconuts, and olives Fruit made with butter, cream, or sauce
Milk	Fat-free-like nonfat, skim milk Low-fat or nonfat cheeses Fat-free yogurt or kefir Fat-free buttermilk	Reduced fat (2%) or whole milk Chocolate milk Cream like whipped, heavy, or sour Whole milk yogurt Regular cheese
Proteins	Lean meats Chicken or turkey without the skin Lean fish Beans and legumes Egg whites; limit whole eggs to three per week	Fatty cuts of meat Duck or goose Bacon Sausage or hot dogs Cold cuts Fish canned in oil Nuts and peanut butter
Limited Fats and Sweets	Honey Jam Hard candies Jelly beans Marshmallows Low-fat or fat-free ice cream or frozen yogurt Sherbets or fruit ice Jell-O Angel food cake	Butter, margarine, lard, and shortening than is more than what is allowed Snack chips Ice cream Pastries, pie, cake, and cookies Chocolate Most candy
Beverages	Coffee, tea Carbonated beverages Juice Water Coffee drinks made with fat-free milk Cocoa made with fat-free milk	Frappes, milk shakes Eggnog
Other	Soups made from a fat-free milk or broth base Herbs and spices Salt in moderation	Cream soups Non-dairy creamer

Eating Tips

Look for these key phrases on food labels: low-fat, nonfat, and fat-free.
Choose foods that have less than three grams of fat per serving. Be sure to eat only one serving.
Do not eat fried and sautéed foods. Use low-fat cooking methods, such as baking, roasting, broiling, poaching, grilling, boiling, or steaming.
Choose lean cuts of meat, such as loin and round. Trim fat before cooking.
Eat small meals more often. This will make it easier for the body to process fat that may be eaten.
Work with a dietitian to help choose the right foods.

RESOURCES:

Choose My Plate—US Department of Agriculture
http://www.choosemyplate.gov

Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Association of Gastroenterology
http://www.cag-acg.org

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

References:

Dietary fat. EBSCO Nursing Reference Center website. Available at: https://www.ebscohost.com/nursing/products/nursing-reference-center. Accessed July 23, 2021.

Dietary guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 and online materials. US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials. Accessed July 23, 2021.

Diets for weight loss. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/management/diets-for-weight-loss. Accessed July 23, 2021.

What is MyPlate? My Plate—US Department of Agriculture website. Available at: https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/what-is-myplate. Accessed July 23, 2021.

Last reviewed July 2021 by EBSCO Medical Review BoardDianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN
Last Updated: 7/23/2021

EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at healthlibrarysupport@ebsco.com. Our Health Library Support team will respond to your email request within 2 business days.