Low Fat Vegan and Whole Foods Plant Based are terms that describes a whole foods, oil-free (or as close to oil free as possible) plant based diet that is quickly taking over the natural health and standard diet world. All of my recipes can be part of a plant based or low fat vegan diet, and many of them will become simple staples that you and your family can enjoy.
Low Fat Raw Vegan is a term that describes a whole foods, oil free (or as close to oil free as possible) diet of raw uncooked fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and minimal quantities of fatty fruits. Many of my recipes are raw and unheated and can be enjoyed by those who are 100% raw, partially raw or new to eating more raw foods.
Low Fat in general, means a food or recipe where most of the calories come from carbohydrates rather than concentrated fats such as in nuts, seeds, oils (of any kind), avocados, olives, meat, dairy, and eggs. Foods like fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, beans, legumes, whole grains make up the majority of the diet and recipes to ensure enough calories, nutrition, and hydration. They are easier to digest in whole or minimally processed form.
What are some examples of low fat foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates that are healthy?
Examples of foods that you can eat regularly to get the majority of your calories every day would be:
Sweet fruits: banana, mango, grapes, pineapple, mamey sapote, sapodilla, and all other lower calorie fruits.
Starches: sweet potatoes, yams, white potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, oats, corn, beans, lentils, legumes, and other whole grains and root vegetables.
What are some examples of foods that are considered low in calories, but are still important to a low fat diet?
Water rich foods such as lettuce, leafy greens, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, apples, pears, melons which are lower in calories but high in nutrients.
What are some low fat, high calorie plant foods that are still unhealthy or less healthy than the above whole foods?
Processed foods: white flour, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, agave, tortillas, fat free crackers etc.
These should not be a main staple of your diet, and be used occasionally if at all, as they are low in nutrients and low in fibre. Choose whole foods, or whole grains whenever you can, especially if you intend on lowering your cholesterol or want to lose weight.
Can a food high in protein be considered low fat?
In general, any food like nuts, seeds, meat, dairy or egg products are not actually high in protein at all. They contain about 10-25% protein by calories and the majority of the remaining calories come from fat. So in turn they are a low carbohydrate food and are not considered low fat for this reason.
Can these foods be part of a healthy lifestyle?
This really depends on your state of health. If you have excess weight, high cholesteral, type-2 diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease, cancer or other serious health conditions you will find it harder to control or reverse these factors while consuming fat rich foods. You will get faster and better results basing most if not all of your meals on whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, beans, legumes and whole grains and excluding or eating very very occasional amounts of fat rich foods like nuts, seeds, oil, avocados, meat, dairy and eggs.
What kind of recipes will I find on this site?
I have created easy, to moderately challenging recipes that are tasty and minimally processed that people of all food prepping and cooking skills can enjoy. Ones that contain no oils, margarine, butter, lard or shortening, and are simply prepared whether they are blended, steamed, broiled or baked. All of the recipes are nutritious and delicious. You won’t find anything that is bland, unappetizing or boring here!
What about allergy friendly recipes?
All of my recipes are dairy and egg free. A lot of my recipes are also tree nut and gluten free as well. If you or someone in your family has serious allergies to a specific ingredient, ensure that you double check the recipe and omit or use a suitable replacement such as gluten free pasta or flour when required.