While fat plays an important role in keeping your body functioning properly, too much fat can raise cholesterol, pack on pounds and increase your risk of heart disease. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports you should aim to consume no more than 30 percent of your calories from fat each day. No more than 10 percent of those calories should be from saturated fat. The Food and Drug Administration requires that all food be labeled with nutrition information, including the number of fat grams. You can use this information to calculate the percentage of fat from fat grams.
Step 1
Read the nutrition information label on the food that concerns you. If you're eating fresh food, such as a lamb chop, a piece of cheese or a potato, consult a nutrition chart online at a site such as Nutrition.gov. Note the number of grams of fat in a serving.
Step 2
Multiply the number of fat grams by 9. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. Your total represents the number of calories in that food that comes from fat. The food label should also show the number of grams of saturated fat. Multiply this number by 9 to determine the number of calories from saturated fat.
Step 3
Divide the number of calories from fat by the total number of calories you consume in a typical day and multiply the results by 100. This will tell you what percentage of your total calories would come from fat if you consumed one serving of this particular food.
Step 4
Add together all the calories from fat you consume in a day. Divide that number into the total number of calories you consume that day and multiply by 100 to calculate the percentage of calories from fat you consumed that day.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
Member Comments