Add More Fat to Your Low Carb Diet

Written by Sabrina Goodman, RN, CNS

When it comes to a restricted carb diet, a big mistake often made is that not enough fat is consumed. Some people try to maximize results by cutting back on carbs and fat. All that is left is protein. Now, protein is good but you cannot just survive on protein alone. And wherever a population has traditionally eaten a restricted carb diet, fat is eaten in abundance. They actually viewed the leaner cuts of meat as the bad bits and went for the organs and fatty pieces.

Here is what you should do to ensure that you get the appropriate amount of fat when following a restricted carb eating plan. You can follow some of these, or all of them, the choice is yours.

Go For the Fatty Meat

Always choose the cuts that have more fat and avoid the leaner ones. (No more eating ghastly steamed chicken breasts!) Where possible, get meat from animals that are grass-fed. Also look for salmon and other fish with a high concentration of fat. They're tastier, fattier and healthier.

Add Fat When Cooking

The days of using water or non-stick fat are over for those recipes that call for the use of olive oil and butter. Grab granny's recipes and pull out the lard. Coconut oil is a wonderful way to add a great taste to any meal - add a couple of spoonfuls. If you are planning on cooking over high temperatures, stick to saturated fats such as coconut oil. Olive oil is not saturated but is still a good bet.

Start Using Natural Supplements

A cod liver oil supplement is a good idea for everyone - it increases the fat in the diet and has optimal levels of omega-3 and vitamins A and D3. Natural turmeric, moringa, and holy basil are also excellent supplements to introduce deficient vitamins and minerals into your daily diet.

Eggs Nuts and Avos Are Back

It doesn't get much more healthy than an egg. A great source of amino acids, several vitamins and minerals and tasty and filling to boot. If possible, eat pastured eggs or eggs that have been enriched with Omega-3 acids.

Nuts, as well as being rich in fats also have a lot of nutrients. Eating just a couple of handfuls will up your fat intake and also help you stock up on vitamin E and other essential nutrients.

When it comes to health, score a lot of points. They are rich and creamy and taste wonderful.

Add Cream Instead Of Milk

From time to time add heavy cream in place of milk to coffee. It is a wonderful way of feeling fuller without really eating and it tastes great. As far as treats go, it doesn't get much better than that. This is especially good if you miss your chocolate fix. Dairy products are a great way to include conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) into your daily diet which is also a great way to help balance your weight.

Guacamole And Mayonnaise Are Not Totally Bad!

Condiments such as and mayo are an easy way to add taste and fat to the diet and you can have them with just about every meal.

You do, however, need to scrutinize the labels when you buy them. yourself for best results so that you can be certain no seed oils were used. Also, look out for the sugar content of store-bought mayo, which tends to be on the high side.

Bearnaise Is Awesome

This diet is a foodie's dream - you get to drench your food in sauce. is a perfect example and is made up primarily of egg yolks and butter.

Choose whatever sauce you like as long as it has oodles of butter, cream or any of the other healthy fats.

The key is to make it yourself so that you know what went into it.

No More Low-Fat Cottage Cheese!

The gorgeous full-fat cream cheeses or any other cheese you like can be added in. Use them in cooking or as part of a snack - whatever suits you.

Bring On The Dark Chocolate

I can hear the applause at this one. The caveat is that it has to be dark, real chocolate. That means the cocoa content should be at least 70% and stick to organic wherever possible in order to ensure that you get the best for your body.

Chocolate's anti-oxidant properties are well-known but only if it is the dark chocolate.

Take Home Note

When it comes to adding more fat to your low carb diet, we hope these simple tips help you in choosing various tasty options for adding some healthy excitement to your daily food choices. As you can see, it isn't all doom and gloom - yum, yum yum is all we have to say!