Minimal-Fat Diet

Time to Read: About 3 minutes

This information explains how to follow a minimal-fat diet.

On a minimal-fat diet, you limit how much total fat you eat. There is no range of fat for this diet. The goal is to get your daily fat intake as close to 0 grams as possible.

Your doctor may prescribe this diet if your lymphatic system (the tissues and organs in your body that help fight infections) is leaking fluid. The leaked fluid can build up in your abdomen (belly) or chest. If you eat less fat, your lymphatic system will make less fluid and the leak may heal.

Use this resource to help you choose the best foods to eat while you’re on this diet. Also, be sure to check the nutrition labels on packaged foods so that you know how much fat is in your food.

Your healthcare provider will tell you when to go back to your regular diet.

Key Points of a Minimal-Fat Diet

Eat only foods with 0 grams of fat.
Don’t use any fat to prepare food, such as butter, margarine, or oil.
Use Teflon® nonstick pans to stop foods from sticking when you cook.
Use fat-free condiments (such as ketchup and mustard), spices, herbs, garlic, and onions to flavor your food.

What to Eat on a Minimal-Fat Diet

Food Group	Eat	Do Not Eat
Dairy	Skim (fat-free) milk Fat-free cultured or frozen yogurts Fat-free cottage cheese Other fat-free dairy products such as fat-free cheeses and fat-free ice cream	Low-fat or whole-fat: Milk Yogurts Puddings Cheeses
Drinks	Coffee (black or with fat-free half and half or skim milk) Tea with lemon or skim milk Soda Juices Fruit punch Fat-free hot chocolate with skim milk or water	Creamers Coconut milk Smoothies containing dairy products with fat (such as yogurt, ice cream, or milk) Fruit beverages that should be avoided (see “Do Not Eat” under “Fruits”) Non-dairy milk alternatives, such as almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, and oat milk
Breads, Cereals, and Grains	Hot or cold cereals Plain pasta White rice Rice noodles Fat-free white bread Fat-free varieties of Vita Muffins® and Vita Tops® Fat-free rolls Matzos Zwieback® crackers Fat-free crackers Angel food cake Fat-free cookies Fat-free cakes	Any items with nuts, seeds, or coconut Doughnuts Croissants Pastries Pies Whole-grain products Brown rice
Fruits	Except for those fruits listed under “Do Not Eat”, you can have all other fruits in these forms: Fresh Frozen Jarred Canned Dried Jellies Jams Juices	Coconut Cherimoya Dried figs Papaws Sapodillas Sapotes Avocado Any fruit with toppings containing fat such as whipped cream
Vegetables	Except for those vegetables listed under “Do Not Eat”, you may have all others in these forms: Fresh Frozen Jarred Canned Juiced Boca Original Vegan Burger® and other fat-free veggie burgers Air-popped popcorn Fat-free kidney beans, black beans, and pink beans	Any vegetables with: Butter Oil Margarine Sauces that contain fat Olives Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) Soybeans Avocados Jarred vegetables in oil
Meats and Other Proteins	Up to 6 ounces a day of fat-free turkey breast or other packaged deli meats labeled fat-free Egg whites Fat-free varieties of Eggbeaters®	All others
Fish	None	All
Fat	Fat-free butter-type spreads (such as Promise® and “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter®”) limited to 2 servings a day Medium-chain triglyceride oil (sold in pharmacies or health food stores) As a salad dressing with vinegar or lemon juice Mixed in fruit such as applesauce To sauté food at low heat (not deep fry)	Butter Margarine All oils except for medium-chain triglyceride oil Cooking oil sprays Regular salad dressings
Soups	Fat-free broth Health Valley® fat-free soups	All others
Liquid Nutritional Supplements	Boost Breeze® (Nestlé) Carnation Breakfast Essentials®, powdered vanilla or strawberry mixed with skim milk Ensure Clear™ (Abbott)	Carnation Breakfast Essentials® ready-to-drink or powdered chocolate All others containing fat
Condiments/Other	Ketchup Fat-free mustard Fat-free mayonnaise Fat-free salsa Louisiana “Original” Hot Sauce™ Soy sauce Vinegar Pickles Pickle relish Plain horseradish Sauerkraut Fat-free salad dressings Molly McButter®, limited to 2 teaspoons a day Fat-free pasta sauce Marshmallows	Regular or low-fat mayonnaise Nuts Seeds Olives Peanut butter Any items with added fat

Buying Nutritional Supplements

You can buy nutritional supplements at your local market or drug store. You can also order them online for home delivery.

Here is a list of companies you can order nutritional supplements from:

Abbott Nutrition
800-258-7677
www.abbottstore.com

Carnation
800-289-7313
www.carnationbreakfastessentials.com

Nestlé
800-422-ASK2 (800-422-2752)
www.nestlehealthscience.us

Sample Menus

Double Milk

Double Milk has twice the amount of calories and protein of skim milk. To make the Double Milk in the sample menus:

Combine 1 quart of skim milk with 1 envelope of nonfat, dry milk powder.
Blend well and refrigerate.

Menu 1

Breakfast

Farina with skim or Double Milk
Boost Breeze® or Ensure Clear™ beverage
Dry toast with jelly
Coffee with fat-free half and half or skim milk

Lunch

Fat-free black beans over white rice, topped with fat-free salsa and fat-free Greek yogurt
Carnation Breakfast Essentials® powder with skim milk or Double Milk
Fresh pineapple

Dinner

Mixed green salad with fat-free dressing
Fat-free spaghetti with fat-free tomato sauce
Green beans prepared in fat-free broth
Toasted fat-free bread with garlic powder
Fruit juice
Fat-free frozen yogurt over angel food cake with maple syrup

Snack

Fat-free pretzels
Double Milk with fat-free chocolate syrup

Menu 2

Breakfast

Eggbeaters® with fat-free salsa or ketchup
BlueBran VitaMuffin™ with strawberry jam
Fresh orange
Tea with lemon and honey

Lunch

Fat-free cottage cheese with fruit
Zwieback with apricot jam
Strawberry Carnation Breakfast Essentials® powder with skim milk or Double Milk

Dinner

Fat-free veggie burger with ketchup and mustard
Baked sweet potato with marshmallows
Homemade coleslaw (shredded cabbage, carrots, onions, fat-free mayonnaise, and vinegar)
Fat-free ice cream with fat-free chocolate syrup
Fruit juice

Snack

Fat-free yogurt

If you have questions or concerns, contact your healthcare provider. A member of your care team will answer Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outside those hours, you can leave a message or talk with another MSK provider. There is always a doctor or nurse on call. If you’re not sure how to reach your healthcare provider, call 212-639-2000.

For more resources, visit www.mskcc.org/pe to search our virtual library.

Minimal-Fat Diet - Last updated on February 7, 2022
All rights owned and reserved by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Last Updated

Monday, February 7, 2022

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