Low fat- how much is not enough ?

jordan_bowden
jordan_bowden Posts: 90 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys, so I'm a hclf vegan and I particularly feel my best, the less fat I have. My goal is 10%, so 10g a day, and sometimes even below.
I don't cook with oil, I eat avocado maybe once every couple of months, and seldom eat nuts and seeds.
My main sources of fat are from soy milk, tofu, oats and peanut butter. I know that those are healthy fats so they are good but what I would like to know is; can it be dangerous to eat super low fat ? Is there a minimum amount you should reach every day? I honestly feel amazing with my macros the way they are at the moment but I would really appreciate any further knowledge and advice.

Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    cathipa wrote: »
    Too little fat can cause hormonal problems, vitamin/mineral deficiencies as well as dry skin, brittle hair and nails. Fat won't make you fat. Aim for at least 50g a day.

    Yes.

    Those conditions are not fun - hormone issues are a PITA to sort out.

    Try using some avocado or olive oil in your cooking - it will increase your fat intake without increasing volume.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Here is a blog post that may be of interest to you, written by a vegan RD: http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/03/fat-in-vegan-diets-how-low-should-you-go.html

    In the post, it says the World Health Organization recommends at least 15% of your diet be fat.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've heard 15% as a minimum too.

    Many vitamins need fats to be absorbed properly. You may want to take your vitamins with your fattiest meals.

    This. As one example: without enough fat, Vitamin D absorption and conversion will be poor. Bad D levels=crap calcium absorption.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    It can even cause problems with your body being able to use protein if you go too low fat.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Here is a blog post that may be of interest to you, written by a vegan RD: http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/03/fat-in-vegan-diets-how-low-should-you-go.html

    In the post, it says the World Health Organization recommends at least 15% of your diet be fat.

    This is interesting, but I'm curious, is that 15% a basic estimate based on the hypothetical average person maintaining weight? This article also mentions that women of childbearing age could benefit from consuming 20% of their calories in fat. How would that translate in terms of a dieting person? Afterall, 15% of 2000 calories is not the same as 15% of 1500 calories, or in some cases even 1200. Is there a minimum g/kg value floating around? Or at least a minimum flat general value?

    I'm asking because I often go low in fat on my hungry days because fat is the worst macro for my personal satiety and always wonder if I'm getting enough. I mean they're just a few days here and there so I'm not overly worried about my overall fat intake, but if it only involves adding a few extra grams I suspect I wouldn't mind hitting the minimum.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    You need about 11 or 12 grams of essential fatty acids a day. I'm unaware of any food sources that have 100% of their fat as EFAs, so OP, at 10 g a day, you're likely falling dangerously shy of your EFA requirements on a regular basis. Only about half of the fat in soy is EFAs, for example. (You'd have to check the label on your soy milk or tofu to see whether that holds true for them; since they're processed foods, I'd guess it's possible the manufacturer manipulates the fats.)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    You need about 11 or 12 grams of essential fatty acids a day. I'm unaware of any food sources that have 100% of their fat as EFAs, so OP, at 10 g a day, you're likely falling dangerously shy of your EFA requirements on a regular basis. Only about half of the fat in soy is EFAs, for example. (You'd have to check the label on your soy milk or tofu to see whether that holds true for them; since they're processed foods, I'd guess it's possible the manufacturer manipulates the fats.)

    Pretty much this. Fatty acids and amino acids are essential to normal body function and metabolism. Cutting either too long is going to be a disaster for dieting.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've heard 15% as a minimum too.

    Many vitamins need fats to be absorbed properly. You may want to take your vitamins with your fattiest meals.

    This. As one example: without enough fat, Vitamin D absorption and conversion will be poor. Bad D levels=crap calcium absorption.

    And this is very relevant for vegans because some of us have diets that tend to be lower in D and calcium anyway. IMO, a very low fat diet can set up a domino effect of deficiency issues for vegans.

    Anecdotally, many people who quit veganism due to health/energy/deficiency issues seem to have been doing very low fat diets. Of course, this is all self-reported and it's just the blogs and stories I've seen from ex-vegans. But I've noticed that common thread over the years.
  • jingles0231
    jingles0231 Posts: 18 Member
    I'm on 1500 calories daily but I have a bad gallbladder and until it is taken out I have to stay with low fat. What would the percentage be for the minimum I can drop it down to?
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    edited April 2018
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Here is a blog post that may be of interest to you, written by a vegan RD: http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/03/fat-in-vegan-diets-how-low-should-you-go.html

    In the post, it says the World Health Organization recommends at least 15% of your diet be fat.

    This is interesting, but I'm curious, is that 15% a basic estimate based on the hypothetical average person maintaining weight? This article also mentions that women of childbearing age could benefit from consuming 20% of their calories in fat. How would that translate in terms of a dieting person? Afterall, 15% of 2000 calories is not the same as 15% of 1500 calories, or in some cases even 1200. Is there a minimum g/kg value floating around? Or at least a minimum flat general value?

    I'm asking because I often go low in fat on my hungry days because fat is the worst macro for my personal satiety and always wonder if I'm getting enough. I mean they're just a few days here and there so I'm not overly worried about my overall fat intake, but if it only involves adding a few extra grams I suspect I wouldn't mind hitting the minimum.

    I think they normalize on 2k calories, so around 33g of fat daily. Mike Israetel provides a 0.1g - 0.3g per lb of body weight as an estimate of a short term minimum. https://www.facebook.com/RenaissancePeriodization/posts/1140232885993900
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    Both the Ornish diet and the Pritikin diet limit fat intake to 10% or less of calories, supposedly sufficient for proper functioning. Both are low fat, high complex carbohydrate diets that have shown promise in reducing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Both are difficult to maintain most people. Some researchers believe such a diet may not be safe long-term.

    Bottom line: Who knows? Teaching nutrition classes was an exercise in frustration, as dietary advice changes almost daily.

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