Can a low-carb, low-fat diet work?

Is it possible to combine a low fat diet and one low carb diet into a healthy diet? Are the two diets, which experts say can be effective for weight loss, compatible? Or, like oil and water, don’t the two diets go well together?

Fats and carbohydrates are two of three macronutrients that provide structure to cells and energy for the body as our sole source of calories, says Elana Natker, a registered dietitian based in Oak Hill, Virginia. Macronutrients, which also include protein, are essential for proper brain, nerve, hormone and circulation function, as well as healthy skin.

Find a healthy balance

If you eliminate or drastically reduce fats and carbohydrates from your diet, you will need to eat more protein to ensure that your body is getting enough calories. It is important to choose lean protein – such as chicken, turkey, beef sirloin, pork tenderloin and fish.

“High-protein, low-fat foods will help increase satiety without the caloric load of more processed, high-fat proteins like pork sausage, brown chicken, or turkey meat with skin on,” says Audra Wilson, dietitian at Northwestern Medicine. Center for Metabolic Health and Surgical Weight Loss in Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Illinois. “Plant sources of proteinlike tofu, also have no saturated fat, an important attribute when considering heart health.”

examples of high in proteinlow-fat foods include:

— Lean meat such as white-meat skinless poultry.

— Lean fish such as haddock, flounder and cod.

– Eggs.

— Beanspeas and lentils.

– Tofu.

– Not fat greek yogurt.

However, rather than focusing on specific diets, Sharma recommends eating more plant-based foodswhole grains and lean protein sources.

“While low-fat, low-carb, and high-protein diets may work for short-term weight loss, they are essentially ‘deprivation diets’ and could have negative short- and long-term health effects. term,” says Shreela Sharma, a registered dietitian and professor of epidemiology, human genetics, and environmental sciences at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.

[READ: Surprisingly High-Fat Foods.]

Consider the DASH Diet

The DASH Diet can be helpful in getting the long-lasting health benefits you seek from a low-fat, low-carb diet. This diet – which represents dietary approaches to quitting hypertension — is a flexible, balanced, heart-healthy diet promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to stop or prevent high blood pressure.

It emphasizes vegetables, fruits, modest servings of whole grains, healthy fats, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. These types of foods can provide satiating, high-quality fats and carbohydrates in moderate amounts. These choices are rich in nutrients like potassium, calcium, protein and fiber.

Although it’s not technically considered a low-carb diet, its framework can help you develop a healthy, low-fat, low-carb diet while getting the nutrition you need. The DASH diet, which many Registered Dietitians consistently rate highly, ranked #1 (tied) in Best Diets for Bone and Joint Health#1 in Best Heart Healthy Diets#1 in Best diets for diabetes#2 (tied) in Best diets overall and No. 2 in Best diets for healthy eating in the US News’ Best Diets 2023.

“It’s just healthy eating,” Wilson says. “It’s not binding, it’s sustainable. You will not feel deprived of this diet.

The DASH diet discourages eating foods high in saturated fat, which are commonly found in fatty meats, whole dairy products, and tropical oils, such as coconut oil and palm oil. It also limits servings of unsaturated fats, which are commonly found in extra virgin olive oil. As part of this diet, you should also stay away from sugary drinks and foods with added sugars.

For a low-carb version of the DASH diet, you can limit your intake of whole grains and some fruit which tend to be higher in carbohydrates, such as bananas, mangoes and cherries.

[READ: Popular and Dangerous Social Media Diet Trends.]

How to Combine Low-Fat and Low-Carb Diets

If you’re considering combining a low-fat, low-carb diet into one diet, experts recommend these strategies:

— Work with a registered dietitian.

— Define your goals.

— Plan your meals in advance.

Work with a registered dietitian.

It would be a big challenge for an untrained person to eat a low-fat, low-carb diet while trying to get the nutrients they need, Wilson says.

Work with a dietician can make following such a diet much more manageable, she adds. A dietitian can help you create an informed and nutritious eating plan that reduces your fat and carbohydrate intake.

“(Dietitians) know about food,” Wilson says. “We can take the foods you currently enjoy and help you modify them or find swaps you may not be thinking of in order to maintain your diet.”

For example, if you reduce your carbohydrate intake, you could swap the cauliflower rice for grain rice.

Define your goals.

Before embarking on a low-fat, low-carb diet, set specific calorie goals, Wilson says. For example, if you’re a grown man trying to lose weight, you can set a goal of 1,600 calories per day. Since you’ll get fewer calories from fat and carbs, you’ll need to make up the deficit elsewhere to make sure you’re still getting enough calories.

Because protein fills upyou might struggle to eat that many calories a day, Wilson says.

A dietitian can help you design a diet that allows you to eat less fat and carbohydrates while meeting your calorie goals.

“Don’t try to do the math on your own,” says Wilson. “We (dietitians) are good at it. We’ll do the math.

Plan your meals in advance.

Cooking meals at home is generally healthier than eating out. You have more control over ingredients and portion sizes, so you can customize them to suit your food preferences and eating plans. This is especially helpful for people on low carb and low fat diets.

For starters, experts recommend writing a weekly menu of your meals.

“You’ll have no excuse to run to McDonald’s or buy a pizza or a bag of chips because you have nothing to eat at home,” says Lisa Jones, a registered dietitian based in Philadelphia. “You’ll have no excuse to make frequent trips to your kitchen, as you’ll be pleased with the variety of pre-planned high-protein, low-fat food options that will help you stay full throughout the day.”

It’s especially a good idea to plan your lunches on workdays, as many offices don’t have cafeterias that offer fresh vegetables and fruits and other healthy foods.

“If you’re at work and haven’t thought about what you’re going to eat, you might get hungry and head to the vending machine,” she says. Many vending machines sell highly processed sweet or salty snacks, but not healthy options.

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Can a low-carb, low-fat diet work? originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 9/1/23: The story was posted on an earlier date and has been updated with new information.