The media has managed to demonize fat as being completely unhealthy and being the reason why people have heart attacks. While it is true that a high fat diet can lead to a heart attack, it is not true that fat is completely unhealthy to eat. In fact, fat provides its own health benefits when you take proper amounts. Fat provides an extra burst of energy that can be beneficial to athletes and other individuals who include vigorous exercise in their daily life and are looking for extra intensity while in the gym.

So with that said, here is a list of pitfalls people run into when undertaking a low fat diet.

Pitfalls of Non fat Dieting #1 Not paying attention to your caloric intake

When you're at the grocery store and shopping for low fat or non fat food, it is important that you read the nutritional label on the outside of the package. Oftentimes companies will sucker you in to buying a low or non fat product which is packed full of calories. A prime example is non fat cookies, which people mistake as being a snack they can eat as much of as they want. While the cookies may be non fat, there is probably over 100 calories in one cookie. That means, if you eat four, you've completely wrecked a whole day of healthy eating.

Pitfalls of Non fat Dieting #2 Unbalanced diet

We've probably all heard the term "well balanced diet." This is because you need a well balanced diet in order to live a healthy life. To completely cut fat from your diet is like removing a leg from a tripod, your diet just won't stand up. A well balanced diet should consist of no more than 15% of fat. Less is okay, but 15% is the absolute max. Whatever the case, it is important that fat is included in your diet.

Pitfalls of Non fat Dieting #3 Eating the wrong types of fat

While it is important to have some fat in your diet, you have to be picky about what foods you get it from. Foods such as red mean, sour cream, butter, oil, and anything that is fried are poor choices for getting your daily allowance of fat. A much better choice is chicken and fish, or you may even consider eating a power bar.

Fat is not a nutrient that ruins a healthy lifestyle. It is eating too much fat that ruins a healthy lifestyle, or in this case, not eating any fat at all. You need fat, plain and simple. Any diet that completely cuts a nutrient out is a bad diet. Most foods have something healthy to offer for a reason, and that reason being that your body needs it. It's when we begin eating too much that we run into problems. If you can remember this, then you'll be better able to avoid the many ridiculous fad diets on the market, and instead focus on a well balanced health diet and active lifestyle, which have been proven effective for living a healthy life.