How Much Fat Should We Have In Our Diets?

The Food and Nutrition Board, which is a department of the Institute of Medicine, establishes dietary reference intakes for all types of nutrients. The dietary reference intakes represent the amount of a specific nutrient that is required to maintain good health and prevent chronic disease. The dietary reference intake for fat is provided as an acceptable macronutrient distribution range. The AMDR represents the percentage of calories that should come from each macronutrient.

Considerations

Carbohydrates, protein and fat are called macronutrients because your body requires large amounts of them from your diet. In addition to their individual functions, these nutrients provide you calories that your body can use for energy. Carbohydrates and protein each contain 4 calories per 1 g. Fat is the most energy-dense marconutrient, providing you with 9 calories per 1 g.

Total Fat

The acceptable macronutrient distribution range for total fat intake is 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories. This means that if you consume 2,000 calories a day, 400 to 700 of these calories should come from fat. Because contains 9 calories per 1 g, this translates to approximately 44 to 78 g of fat per day.

Not all fat is nutritionally equal, however. Saturated fats and trans fats increase the cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood, which also increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can lower your cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease.

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats contain carbon atoms that have been saturated with hydrogen atoms, which changes the chemical makeup of the fats. The specific chemical makeup of saturated fats is responsible its role in increasing blood lipid levels. To avoid high cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease, the Food and Nutrition Board recommends limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of daily calories. If you consume 2,000 calories per day, less than 22 g should come from saturated fat. Sources of saturated fat include meat, dairy products, full-fat milk, cheese, cream and butter.

Trans Fat

Trans fat is a chemically produced fat that is made by adding hydrogen atoms to vegetable oil in a process referred to as hydrogenation. Trans fat are considered especially dangerous because in addition to increasing your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, trans fats also decrease your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, putting you at greater risk for heart problems. Trans fats are the most stable type of fat, and because of this, are often used in processed foods and commercially baked items. It is best to eliminate trans fat completely, but if you do consume this type of fat, limit intake to less than 1 percent of calories, or approximately 2 g per day.

Unsaturated Fat

Most of your fat intake, or approximately 10 to 25 percent of your total calories, should come from unsaturated fats, which are found in fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado. If you consume 2,000 calories per day, 22 to 56 g should be unsaturated fat.