Find the fats
Fat in foods provides more calories than either carbohydrate or protein, ie. approximately 37 kilojoules, 9 calories, per gram compared to 16 and 17 kilojoules, 4 calories, per gram respectively. Reducing fat intake is often an easier way to reduce total energy intake than restricting total amount of food. A low fat diet not only helps weight loss but also improves blood lipid profile. Fat should contribute no more than 30% of the total energy intake and saturated fats should be replaced with poly- or mono unsaturated fats wherever possible.

Fat counting is an effective weight loss strategy that can usually be easily adopted. Fat intake canbe calculated at the end of a day by keeping a diet history and by using a fat counter, such as Allan Borushek’s Fat and Calorie Counter. Patients can choose foods from the fat counter to fit within their fat ‘budget’. For example, an individual may have a fat budget of 40 g of fat per day. A fat checklist (Table 2) can help patients make low fat food choices.

Seek the sugar
Foods high in added sugars are generally more energy dense and less satiating than healthier alternatives. Patients can use a sugar checklist to help them choose foods low in added sugar (Table 3). For some individuals, modest amounts of refined sugars may be acceptable. For example, it would be silly to insist that patients stop adding a teaspoon of sugar to their coffee when they are achieving glycaemic and weight loss goals.