FATS: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly - Part 2

PART 2:  Recommendations For Dietary Fat Intake


In Part 1 of my article "FATS: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" which I posted last week, I discussed the different types of fat that exist and pointed out which ones are healthier for you.

In Part 2 this week, I am going to discuss the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the Department of Agriculture, which provides recommendations for dietary fat intake.

Here's a look at the recommendations and common food source for each type of dietary fat:
 
* TOTAL FAT:  This includes all types of dietary fat (i.e. monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 essential fatty acids, saturated fat, and trans fat). Limit total fat intake to 20-35% of your daily calories. So for somebody on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, this amounts to 44-78 grams of total fat a day. The major food source for fat is both plant- and animal-based.
 
* MONOUNSATURATED FAT:  While no specific amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance. Major food sources include olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, poultry, nuts and seeds.
 
* POLYUNSATURATED FAT:  While no specific amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance. Major food sources include vegetable oils (such as safflower, corn, sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils), nut oils (such as peanut oil), poultry, nuts and seeds.
 
* OMEGA-3 ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS:  While no specific amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance. Major food sources include fatty, cold-water fish (i.e. salmon, mackerel and herring), ground flax seed, flax oil and walnuts. You can also obtain quality omega-3s from a pharmaceutical-grade fish oil supplement.
 
* SATURATED FAT:  Limit saturated fat to NO MORE THAN 10% OF YOUR TOTAL DAILY CALORIES. Limit it to 7% TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE. Based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, a 10% limit would yield 22 grams of saturated fat per day, while a 7% limit would yield 15 grams per day. Saturated fat intake counts toward your total daily allowance of fat. Major food sources come include cheese, pizza, grain-based desserts, and animal products, such as chicken dishes, sausage, hot dogs, bacon and ribs. Other food sources include lard and butter as well as coconut, palm and other tropical oils.
 
* TRANS FAT:  No specific amount is recommended, but the guidelines say THE LOWER THE BETTER. Avoid trans fat from synthetic (processed) sources. It's difficult to eliminate all trans fats because of their presence in meat and dairy foods. The American Heart Association recommends limiting trans fat to NO MORE THAN 1% OF YOUR TOTAL DAILY CALORIES. For most people, this means less than 2 grams per day.  Major food sources include margarine's, snack foods and desserts such as cookies and cakes. Other food sources (and these are naturally occurring) include meat and dairy products.

• NOTE:  Many foods contain more than one kind of fat along with varying levels of each type. As an example, butter contains both saturated and unsaturated fat, but a larger percentage of the total fat content comes from saturated fat. As another example, canola oil contains saturated polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat, but a larger percentage of the total fat content comes from monounsaturated fat.  

Now that you understand the recommendations for dietary fat intake (as issued by the Department of Agriculture), you can calculate what your daily fat intake should be in grams. To calculate your daily fat intake, first multiply your daily total calorie intake by the recommended percentage of fat intake. Then divide that total by 9 (which is the number of calories in a gram of fat).

• EXAMPLE 1:  Assume you are limiting your total daily fat intake to 25% and that you are on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, To calculate your total daily fat intake in grams, multiply 2,000 by 0.25 to get 500 calories. Then divide 500 calories by 9 calories per gram to get about 56 grams of fat. So in this example, your total daily fat intake is 500 calories or 56 grams. You don't want to exceed these levels.

• EXAMPLE 2:  Next, assume you are limiting your daily saturated fat intake to 7% and that you are on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, To calculate your daily saturated fat intake in grams, multiply 2,000 by 0.07 to get 140 calories. Then divide 140 calories by 9 calories per gram to get about 16 grams of fat. So in this example, your daily saturated fat intake is 140 calories or 16 grams. You don't want to exceed these levels.

You might think that since watching fat intake is a good strategy, it might be even better to try to eliminate ALL fat from your diet? But it's not. Your body needs some fat — the healthier fats — to function normally. If you try to avoid all fat, you risk getting insufficient amounts of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Also, in attempting to remove fat from your diet, you may wind up eating too many processed foods advertised as low-fat or fat-free rather than healthier and naturally lower fat foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Enjoy healthier fats in moderation.

So now that you have a better understanding of the different types of dietary fat that exist, along with their recommended levels of intake, how do you adjust your diet to meet recommended dietary guidelines?

In a nutshell, focus on reducing foods high in saturated fat and trans fat. Then emphasize foods that include plenty of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. But be careful not to go overboard even on healthier fats. All fats, including the healthy ones, are high in calories. So try to consume foods that contain monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats INSTEAD of other fatty foods...but in moderation.

As an experiment, track your fat intake tomorrow.  Then send me a message (via the "Contact Me" tab at the top of the page) telling me how many calories you ate and the breakdown of fats you ate in calories or grams. (Include all monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 essential fatty acids, saturated fat, and trans fat.)

If you have any questions about anything I discussed, please feel free to send me a message. I will be happy to answer all of your questions.