Tip# 2 Elipidate; Your Diet (Zap It)

WOULD YOU BELIEVE:
Each gram of fat has 100% more calories than a gram of carbohydrate or protein.
Each gram of fat has roughly 800% to 1,500% more calories than a gram of whole starchy food.
Each fat calorie is 20% more likely to make you fat than is a starch calorie.14-16 (See page 37, EMWL.)
SOME FACTS: A gram is about the weight of a raisin. One gram of fat contains 9 calories. A gram of simple carbohydrate or protein has about 4 to 4.5 calories. While this makes fats undesirable enough, it is even more important to avoid fat when you realize that a gram of whole starchy food such as brown rice contains only 1.1 calories and a gram of potato contains only 0.6 calories. This makes fats somewhere between 8 to 15 times higher in fat (800% to 1,500%) when compared to whole starchy foods on a gram for gram basis.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Elipidate your diet (i.e., cut fats, oils, and cholesterol out of your diet as much as possible).
Use nonfat or low-fat flavor enhancers such as herbs and spices, nonfat or low-fat sauces (i.e., salsas), and gravies, as suggested above.
Dont fry foods.
Avoid oil-based dressings.
Avoid butter, margarine, and mayonnaise.
Try to limit your daily fat intake to approximately 10% of calories; (22 grams of fat on a 2,000-calorie diet, 33 grams of fat on a 3,000-calorie diet, etc.).