Low Fat Alternatives

posted 11/01/02

In 2000, obesity among adults was nearly 20 percent, or about 40 million people. When the statistics were broken down into groups, it was found that black, non-Hispanic Americans, and Americans between ages 50 and 59 had the highest rates of obesity. Dieticians say there are simple changes you can make to drop some weight.

Linda Smack has high cholesterol and diabetes. She came to dietician Pat Streicher, R.D., L.D., for help.

Smack says, "She kept saying, ' I can't eat this. I can't eat that. And I'm telling her you're taking everything away!'"

But what Streicher, of the Cholesterol Center at the Health Alliance in Cincinnati, also did was suggest some substitutions. The oils she recommends to her patients are canola and extra virgin olive oil.

According to Streicher, if a recipe calls for oil in a skillet a teaspoon is sufficient. Also, she says, Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon is a great way to still have a meat at breakfast, without having all that fat.

Meat servings should be the size of a deck of cards -- three ounces. "Eating out, the portions have become huge, I mean you would easily be served a pound of meat for an evening meal," she says.

So far, Smack has lost nine pounds.

Over the years, Scott Neison's weight climbed to 265. So he dramatically changed his food habits. He tells Ivanhoe, "I used to eat a large, extra cheese pizza a couple of times a week."

Now, it's fruit, vegetables, proper portions and exercise six days a week.

"People who eat seven servings or more of fruits and vegetables a day weigh 10 percent less than the people who don't," says Streicher.

Neison says, "I've lost 55 pounds so far." He says the hardest step was just getting started.

Streicher says many people fail on healthy eating when they go out to dinner. It used to be that people seldom ate out so they would splurge. Now, she says people still splurge, but they're eating out three and four times a week and packing on the pounds.