Fat is an important part of your diet, but figuring out how much to eat can be confusing. Show
Over the last 50 years, many people have moved from a moderate fat to a low fat diet, based on recommendations from health organizations. However, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans no longer specifies an upper limit for how much total fat you should consume. This article takes a detailed look at different types of fat and provides suggestions for how much to eat per day. Along with protein and carbs, fat is one of the three macronutrients in your diet. You consume fat in the form of triglycerides. A triglyceride molecule consists of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. The fatty acids contain chains of carbons and hydrogens. One way to classify fats is by the length of their carbon chains:
Most of the fats you eat are long-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids are mainly produced when bacteria ferment soluble fiber in your colon, although milk fat also contains small amounts. Long-chain and very long-chain fats are absorbed into the bloodstream and released into the body’s cells as needed. However, the liver takes up short-chain and medium-chain fats directly and stores them as energy.
Fat performs a number of functions and provides several health benefits:
The fat stored inside your body helps:
Fatty acids are grouped according to the number of double bonds between carbons in their structures. Monounsaturated fatMonounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) have one double bond in their carbon chains. MUFA food sources are typically liquid at room temperature and fairly stable for cooking purposes. The most common MUFA is oleic acid, which olive oil contains in high amounts. Monounsaturated fat is linked to several health benefits, including a reduced risk of serious diseases such as heart disease and diabetes (5, 6, 7). One review of 24 controlled studies found diets high in monounsaturated fat lead to significantly lower blood sugar, triglycerides, weight and blood pressure levels, compared to high carb diets. The high monounsaturated fat diets also increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels (7). MUFAs may also increase feelings of fullness that lead to reduced calorie intake. In one study, people felt fuller and took in fewer calories for the next 24 hours after consuming bread alongside oil rich in oleic acid, compared to bread that contained less (8). Polyunsaturated fatPolyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) contain two or more double bonds. They can be divided into groups depending on the location of the double bonds. These include omega-3s and omega-6s. These double bonds make PUFAs more flexible and fluid than saturated fats. On the other hand, they’re also far more prone to damage and rancidity. Studies have found that long-chain omega-3 fats have benefits for inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and other health conditions (9, 10, 11, 12). Although you need some omega-6 fats, they can contribute to chronic inflammation if you consume too much, especially if omega-3 PUFA intake is low (13 , 14, 15 ). Omega-6 fats are very common in modern-day diets. On the other hand, omega-3 fats are usually consumed in much smaller amounts. Significantly, researchers report that the evolutionary diet of humans provided a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats between 1-to-1 and 4-to-1. By contrast, it’s estimated that most people now consume these fats in a 15–17:1 ratio (16, 17). Saturated fatSaturated fatty acids (SFAs) have no double bonds in their carbon chains, so the carbons are said to be “saturated” with hydrogen. They’re very stable at high temperatures and far less likely to be damaged during cooking than polyunsaturated fats. SFA intake can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in some people, although this depends in part on the specific fatty acids consumed. It should also be noted that HDL (good) cholesterol typically goes up as well (18). Overall, research indicates that SFA consumption has a neutral effect on health and doesn’t appear to cause or contribute to heart disease (19, 20, 21). In fact, some foods high in saturated fat may benefit metabolic health. For example, studies suggest that the medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil and palm oil may boost metabolic rate and reduce calorie intake (22, 23). The American Heart Association recommends that only 5-6% of your fat intake should be saturated. In other words, if you’re on a diet of 2,000 calories a day, you should consume around 13 grams of saturated fat per day (24). Trans fatIn a trans fats molecule, hydrogens are positioned across from each other rather than side by side. Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in dairy and other animal foods. However, nothing is natural about the trans fats used in processed foods. These trans fats are produced by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats to create a product that functions more like a saturated fat. Ingredient labels often list them as “partially hydrogenated” fats. Consuming trans fats can lead to a number of health problems. Artificial trans fats are linked to inflammation, unhealthy cholesterol changes, impaired artery function, insulin resistance, and excess belly fat (25, 26, 27, 28, 29). Research has linked the intake of trans fats with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (30). Trans fats are often found in margarine and other processed spreads. Food manufacturers sometimes add them to packaged products, such as crackers, to help extend shelf life.
The appropriate amount of fat to eat will depend on your calorie requirements for weight loss or maintenance. It’ll also be based on your eating style and diet. You can use this calculator to determine your calorie needs to lose weight or maintain your weight, which is known as your daily calorie goal. Low fat dietA standard low fat diet contains about 30% — or less — of its calories from fat (31). Here are a few examples of suggested daily fat ranges for a low fat diet, based on different calorie goals:
Studies show higher fat diets, such as low carb and Mediterranean diets, offer many health benefits and may be a better choice than lower fat diets for some people. High fat, low carb or Ketogenic dietA ketogenic diet:
The percentage of calories from fat will depend on how low your carb intake is, but it will generally be around 75% of calories (32, 33, 34). Here are a few examples of suggested daily fat ranges for a low-carb or ketogenic diet, based on different calorie goals:
Moderate-Fat Mediterranean DietThe Mediterranean diet includes a wide variety of plant and animal foods such as:
It typically provides 35–40% of calories from fat, including plenty of monounsaturated fat from olive oil. Here are a few examples of suggested daily fat ranges for a Mediterranean diet, based on different calorie goals:
Regardless of the type of diet you follow, it’s important to get a balance of different types of healthy fats every day. Fortunately, many delicious foods can provide the fat you need. While most foods contain a mixture of different fats, some are especially high in certain types. Below are examples of foods rich in different types of healthy fats. Monounsaturated fatMonounsaturated fats are found in most plant and animal foods, but some foods are especially rich in them. These include:
All of these foods also contain omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fatOmega-6 fats are present in most plant and animal foods, including those mentioned above. However, getting adequate omega-3 fats takes a little more work. Foods rich in omega-3s include:
It’s worth noting that plant foods, such as flax, contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This can convert to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which may have health benefits. However, the conversion rate of ALA to the omega-3s EPA and DHA is poor (35). Saturated fatHealthy foods that are high in saturated fat include:
Fats serve a number of important functions, along with making foods taste better and helping you feel satisfied. Fortunately, a rather large range of fat intake is actually considered healthy. Eating the right amounts and right types of fat can go a long way toward reducing disease risk and enhancing your overall health. What percent of fats calories should you eat in a day?The USDA recommends getting up to 35 percent of your calories from fat. This means: up to 97 grams of fat per day in a 2,500-calorie diet.
What percentage of your daily caloric intake should come from carbohydrates?How many carbohydrates do you need? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that carbohydrates make up 45% to 65% of total daily calories. So if you get 2,000 calories a day, between 900 and 1,300 calories should be from carbohydrates. That translates to between 225 and 325 grams of carbs a day.
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