Ever wondered what your daily fat intake should be? Having a hard time getting the answers you need? 
Just thinking about eating fat freaks out most people. “If I eat fat then I will get fat!” is the typical thought process.
That’s not true.
Just like food, there are healthy fats and there are bad fats. Like anything else, it can be hard to determine the right answer without the right information. Find out what your daily fat intake should be with our daily fat intake recommendations now.
The Myth of Fat
One of the most prevalent myths in the dieting world is that simply eating fat will make you fat. Even if it were possible to remove all the fat from your diet, it would not change the fact that your body needs some of it. Without fat your body would not be able to function properly. Too little fat in your diet will make you sick, too much of it will do the same.
Your body needs fat. Yes, you read that right. Fat is important to your health as it assists with metabolizing some vitamins and minerals. There are a variety of fat types, some being much better then others. It is recommended by most nutritional guides that saturated fats should be limited and instead you should focus on consuming monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats assist with raising your good cholesterol levels.
Another type of fats that should avoid like poison is trans fats. Over the past decade food manufacturers have gone out of their way to limit their use of trans fats, due to negative press, but it is important to read the food labels to ensure that they are absent as they are still being used in many products, but the labels are deceiving. For example, they will state “0g of trans fat per serving”. They can make that claim as there is not a full gram of trans fat in the serving THEY recommend, however, it is often so small that you may eat 2, sometimes 3 the recommended serving. One of my favorite examples is the “pink cookie” found at most convenience stores. The label states four servings per cookie. Four! I have never met anyone who saved one cookie for three additional snacks. Also be wary of the sugar and the sodium levels. Some food manufacturers are lowering the fat content while escalating salt and sugar to make up for the taste lost in less fat. Eating more sodium and sugar is just as damaging as eating more fat. Be careful out there, it can be a literal minefield when it comes to picking out the right balance of foods today.
Fat is very energy dense when compared to carbohydrates and proteins. Carbs and protein both contain 4 calories per gram while fat contains 9 calories per gram. If you eat the same amount (in weight) of fat as protein or carbs, your calorie intake will be doubled. That is why you should take extra care when eating foods that are high in fat: the calories add up a lot quicker.
Your Daily Fat Intake Recommendation
Your total daily fat intake should never be more than 30% of your diet. In other words, your total calorie consumption. For example, if your diet is 1,900 calories per day, simply multiply 2,500 by 0.30) which tell you that no more than 570 of those calories should come from fat. Since we know fat contains 9 calories per gram, (570 divided by 9) on a 1,900 calorie diet, you should take in no more than 63 grams of fat per day. While that may seem like a lot and that it would be difficult to reach, think again. In fact, at some restaurants, you would exceed that fat intake with just one entree! And that is without an appetizer or dessert.
There are two kinds of fat: saturated (bad, unhealthy) and unsaturated (good, healthy). Of the 30% of your calories per day that come from fat, no more than 10% should come from saturated fats and the other 20% should come from unsaturated sources. To be real healthy, you should avoid saturated fats altogether.
Daily Fat Intake Example:
Based on a 1,900 Calorie Diet
- 30% Fat: 570 calories of fat or 63 grams of fat
- 10% Saturated Fat: 190 calories of saturated fat or 6 grams of saturated fat
- 20% Unsaturated Fat: 380 calories of unsaturated fat or 57 grams of fat
With many experts in disagreement over the recommended daily fat intake, it is highly recommended that you discuss your daily fat intake with your doctor or physician. Discussing nutrition with your doctor regularly can be very beneficial and something you should do at least once a year. You want to get the specific answers you need for your individual health.
Your doctor can tailor his answers to your weight, level of daily activity, age and any medical conditions that could affect your overall health. Your doctor or physician know your health better then you think, so consider discussing with them about your daily fat intake recommendations to ensure you are consuming what you should be and avoid consuming what you shouldn’t be.
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