Low fat & fat free food controversy on the Giraffe Diet

Fat Free Foods

Although the Giraffe Diet stresses limiting fat intake and focusing on a plant based diet, we do not want patients to get stuck in a fat free craze. We want you to purchase and eat foods that are naturally low in fat, not items that are processed to end up fat free. Remember, this is a diet that is low in fat…not fat free! Here are some foods that people may tend to purchase low fat or fat free versions of. Find out if you really need to go that route or if buying the standard will leave you better off.

Salad Dressing: This is a hard one for Giraffe’s because of having to eat so many vegetables. However, there are many options to put on top of a salad that don’t include buying chemically made fat free dressings. You can find many vinegar based dressing that will work perfectly. Try lemon based vinegar with some black pepper or other spices of your choice. The ranch and blue cheese should probably stay on the shelf, regular fat or not!

Cottage Cheese: Note that doing a lot of dairy is not recommended on the Giraffe Diet, but when you do have a little dairy, go for the low fat! Doing 1% fat cottage cheese with only 1 gram of fat per serving would be a much better option for you than going with the 4% or even 2% fat options.

Beans: Fat-free refried beans. Just because it says re-FRIED in the title does not mean that it is fattening. The original variety, organic or not, has 2-3 grams of fat per serving. Coming up with a fat free version of an already low fat food is just a gimmick to catch the eye of those who get caught up with the diet fad hype. Beans, refried or not, are a great food choice for Giraffes.

Rice Cakes: If you are someone who enjoys rice cakes, whether it’s for a snack or as part of your meal, always buy the brown rice cakes. The organic ones are even made with sea salt! This is a tricky food when it comes to the fat free version. In one regular rice cake there is a ½ gram of fat. That’s right, less than 1 gram. The ingredients on both labels are the exact same aside from that number. Hmm? My guess is that there is no difference and because of the laws on food labeling, they are able to put fat free on the label. That’s pretty sneaky!

Keep in mind that the main part of a Giraffe’s diet is vegetables. Eating the proper amount of fresh produce each day will help make your choices a little easier. There won’t be much room for fake, processed foods if you stick your Hauser Diet Plan. You will be able to get in the proper amount of good, healthy fats just by eating old fashion regular food. Always remember that being on the Hauser Giraffe Diet means choosing mostly plant-based, fresh, natural foods. It doesn’t mean eating any and all the carbohydrates you want!

NEXT: Good Fats for the Giraffe