"Low fat" foods when bulking?

[axisD]

Just a quick question because I've read conflicting ideas on this. I was looking at a lot of the recipes on bodybuilding.com and noticed that a lot of them say to use low fat versions of things, (low fat yogurt, low fat cheddar cheese, low fat mayo etc) ....but this is I direct contrast to articles I've read that say these low fat versions of foods are actually worse for our bodies because of the processing it goes through. I've read pretty much everywhere that these natural fats in foods are actually good for us, and needed to help build muscle? Do you all know anything about this or have any opinions?

[gbullock32]

Nothing wrong with dietary fat, it's actually important for many health functions. Do not bother with low fat options, no need to unless you prefer them.

[Mrpb]

I've read that say these low fat versions of foods are actually worse for our bodies because of the processing it goes through.

That's not the case. Low fat yogurt or milk is fine for you.

For heart health it's probably a good idea to limit your saturated fat intake to ~10% of total calories or less.

When bulking saturated fats are easier stored as body fat than unsaturated fats.

[boo99]

Just a quick question because I've read conflicting ideas on this. I was looking at a lot of the recipes on bodybuilding.com and noticed that a lot of them say to use low fat versions of things, (low fat yogurt, low fat cheddar cheese, low fat mayo etc) ....but this is I direct contrast to articles I've read that say these low fat versions of foods are actually worse for our bodies because of the processing it goes through. I've read pretty much everywhere that these natural fats in foods are actually good for us, and needed to help build muscle? Do you all know anything about this or have any opinions?

Unfortunately that part of bb.com and the main Nutrition Forum here are often out of synch with various topics, etc often contradicting another

See the posts above

[axisD]

Thanks! Makes sense...but do foods like milk and yogurt have these saturated fats? I thought whole mill was one of the healthiest things you could put in your body?

[rhadam]

Thanks! Makes sense...but do foods like milk and yogurt have these saturated fats? I thought whole mill was one of the healthiest things you could put in your body?

Health is relative.

[okayest]

Thanks! Makes sense...but do foods like milk and yogurt have these saturated fats? I thought whole mill was one of the healthiest things you could put in your body?

Most of the fat in dairy is saturated. Same goes for red meat and eggs. It's why almost every health org recommends limited consumption of those things and low-fat or fat free dairy is recommended more often. Fat free milk and yogurt are not super processed. You could do it yourself in your kitchen. Some soft and semi-soft cheeses naturally contain less fat, like part-skim ricotta and mozzarella, or plain Neufchatel. Things like sour cream, hard cheeses, cream cheese, whipping cream, butter, basically all things that are primarily dairy fat are concoctions if they are low fat though.

Full fat mayo usually contains a good deal of essential fatty acid so it's actually a good source of fat for a diet. I think anyone who recommends low fat mayo is only looking to cut calories or doesn't know what type of fat they're replacing with corn starch and HFCS.

[Mrpb]

I thought whole mill was one of the healthiest things you could put in your body?

You should probably start with reading other sources. My signature contains a couple of good starting points.

[HeMB]

That's not the case. Low fat yogurt or milk is fine for you.

For heart health it's probably a good idea to limit your saturated fat intake to ~10% of total calories or less.

When bulking saturated fats are easier stored as body fat than unsaturated fats.

That's interesting. Could you post a reference for this?

[Mrpb]

That's interesting. Could you post a reference for this?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24550191

[HeMB]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24550191

Thank you.

That's actually stunning...

[mdonnelly80]

This is another one of those "in moderation" topics that some folks don't seem to understand. You need unsaturated and saturated fats in your diet IN MODERATION. These fats are important in maintaining an anabolic envrironment within your body as they help your body produce ALL of your hormones. Butm again, this is a topic that has been polarized.. Your "paleo" folks will claim that a diet that is extremely high in saturated fats is absolutely necessary for increasing testosterone while completely ignoring how detrimental it is your your health. the other side o the aisle still read bodybuilding literature from the '80s which claims that all fat is evil!

Whether I am bulking or cutting, I make sure that one of my meals each day contains a lean beef or dark-meat chicken protein source. This doesn't mean that I hoover down a T-bone or buffalo wings for dinner every night; I just eat some lean hamburger or a few chicken thighs within one meal per day. Yes, the calories are higher because they are fattier but I just compensate for it the rest of the day by taking in fewer calories in other meals.

Again, the major component of bulking or cutting is counting your calories. You want to gain weight, so you put yourself in a reasonable caloric surplus. You want to lose weight, so you put yourself in a caloric deficit. Past that, make sure that you're getting a fair amount of cruciferous veggies in and making reasonable food choices. It's really not rocket science... Idiot bulking= caloric surplus + Cheetos. Smart bulking= caloric surplus + nutrient dense whole food sources.

[unplugged]

Thanks! Makes sense...but do foods like milk and yogurt have these saturated fats? I thought whole mill was one of the healthiest things you could put in your body?

You thought wrong haha. I mean drink it if you'd like but it's by no means "healthy". What does the term "healthy" even mean anyways? As Rhadam stated, it's all relative lols

[Brozef]

Most of the fat in dairy is saturated. Same goes for red meat and eggs. It's why almost every health org recommends limited consumption of those things and low-fat or fat free dairy is recommended more often. Fat free milk and yogurt are not super processed. You could do it yourself in your kitchen. Some soft and semi-soft cheeses naturally contain less fat, like part-skim ricotta and mozzarella, or plain Neufchatel. Things like sour cream, hard cheeses, cream cheese, whipping cream, butter, basically all things that are primarily dairy fat are concoctions if they are low fat though.

Full fat mayo usually contains a good deal of essential fatty acid so it's actually a good source of fat for a diet. I think anyone who recommends low fat mayo is only looking to cut calories or doesn't know what type of fat they're replacing with corn starch and HFCS.

It's actually not the case for most of those foods. Many people assume these have mostly saturated fats but it's untrue a lot of the time, although the fats in some are nearly 50% saturated. Here are some common example that are staple foods:

Whole cottage cheese >>> http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...-products/11/2




Whole eggs (some eggs like Eggland's Best contain very little saturated fats) >>> http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...products/117/2




Chicken thighs (technically red meat) >>> http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...products/737/2




Rib eye (very fatty) >>> http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...roducts/7385/2




Top round (not so fatty) >>> http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...roducts/7393/2




Pork tenderloin (which is in fact red meat) >>> http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...roducts/2284/2

[desslok]

Short answer to the Op, most of the crappy articles on this site assume everyone is cutting(yes, even the 14 yo weighing 130). Besides low fat foods tasting like crap, its pretty counter intuitive to bulking. It would be like buying a weight set made of cotton.

[unplugged]

Short answer to the Op, most of the crappy articles on this site assume everyone is cutting(yes, even the 14 yo weighing 130). Besides low fat foods tasting like crap, its pretty counter intuitive to bulking. It would be like buying a weight set made of cotton.

"you must spread some reputation around before giving it to Desslok again". The reason why so many lifters make little to no progress month after month year after year is cause they eat like 12 year old girls and fear fat in that it will magically turn into body fat and are scared to gain even a bit of fat (even though fat can be EASILY lost after a good base of muscle is built).