Fats in your diet provide essential fatty acids that contribute to your health. Fat should make up between 20 and 35 percent of your total daily calories, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends. These guidelines advise that you limit saturated fats to 10 percent or less. Choose healthy fats and avoid unhealthy ones that contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease and excess weight.
USDA Dietary Fat Recommendations
Keep saturated fats below 10 percent of your total daily fat intake and eliminate trans fats, or reduce consumption as much as you can. The USDA recommends that you limit saturated fats to 18 grams or less daily in a 1,600-calorie diet. For the normal 2,000-calorie diet, the saturated-fat limit is 20 g; for 2,200 calories, don't exceed 24 g. For diets at 2,500 calories, the limit is 25 g, and 31 g for 2,800 calories.
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature. The most common ones in the American diet are lard, butter, cheeses and margarine. The University of Michigan notes that some liquid vegetable oils, such as palm oil and coconut oil, are higher in saturated fat. Whole milk, ice cream, cream, coffee creamer and other full-fat dairy products have a high saturated-fat content.
Pork, beef, lamb and other red meats have a higher saturated-fat content than fish, chicken and turkey. The saturated-fat content of poultry like duck and goose rivals that of lamb. Game meat, such as deer, are as high in fat as range-grazed beef, according to the University of Wyoming. Bison --- or buffalo --- and elk are lower-fat game choices.
Trans Fats
Manufacturers often modify vegetable oils with a chemical process that uses hydrogen and nickel to make the oil more solid. These hydrogenated oils have a longer shelf life and are easier to ship. Harvard University notes that unhealthy trans fats are the byproducts of this chemical process, and wants that consuming trans fats increases bad (LDL) cholesterol and decreases good (HDL) cholesterol. Trans fats also contribute to inflammation and insulin resistance --- the precursor to diabetes --- along with obesity.
Trans fats hide in baked goods, margarines and dishes that restaurants cook in oil, such as French fries and doughnuts. In restaurants, avoid fried foods or ask if the establishment uses oil with trans fats. Processed snacks, bread, cookies, cakes and cereal bars often contain trans fats. Federal laws require that food manufacturers list trans fats on their product labels. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and vegetable shortening are the main trans fats to look for on food labels.
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