Guide to fat: types, benefits and how much you need

Fat in our food is long feared. You can remember the 90s as snack shelves were lined with fat -free and low -fat cookies, cakes and more. Today we know that dietary fat – both saturated and unsaturated – has a place in a balanced diet.

To clean up the confusion, we dive in all fat in this piece. From what types are to what types you need (and how much), we’ve got you covered in this article.

What is fat?

Fats are one of the macronutrients your body needs to function on its primary (1). Fat provides energy to the body and promotes cell growth, but also protects organs, helps absorb fat -soluble vitamins and stabilize blood pressure and cholesterol (1,2).

When you eat dietary fat, it is divided into fatty acids. There are two main types of fatty acids in the diet (2):

• Saturated fatty acids
• Unsaturated fatty acids

The type of food you eat and what type of fat is in that food will dictate if these fatty acids work for you, against you or with you. And to the surprise of many, most foods actually contain some of each, although the quantities vary depending on the food you eat. Let’s explore each of these slightly more in -depth.

What are saturated fatty acids?

Saturated fatty acids are often referred to as “the bad fat” (2). Increased consumption of these fats has been associated with negative health effects, such as increasing blood cholesterol and increasing one’s risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke (3).

And unfortunately, despite these effects, most Americans are still eating more than they should of this nutrient (4). According to MyFitnessPal -registered dietitian Brookell White, MS, RD, “Saturated fatty acids are a nutrient that is often found in the United States and can raise cholesterol.”

Why saturated fat can be a concern

In fact, the health authorities have made recommendations on the amount you must consume per year. Day of saturated fat to reduce your risk of these conditions (which we come to a short time.) But the main reason why saturated fat has the effects of health they do is because of their chemical structure.

For example, saturated fats have single bonds between carbon molecules that are completely saturated with hydrogen (3). This structure makes them solid at room temperature (3). When consuming high -saturated fat foods, some blood fat (also known as blood lipids, which are crucial measurements of heart health), such as low density lipoproteins (LDL) can be elevated (5). Over time, excessive intake of saturated fat can continue to increase the blood lipids and take a toll on heart health.

Knowledge is power, so calm, we are here to help you.

Here are some of the best sources of saturated fat to monitor in your diet (6):

• Animal products such as red meat and cured meat
• Dairy products, including butter, whole milk and cheeses
• Oils, such as coconut and palm core core oil
• Combination foods, like pepperoni -pizza, creamy pasta dishes and sandwiches
• Desserts and cute snacks, like cakes and cookies

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About the experts

Brookell WhiteMS, RD is a food data curator at MyFitnessPal. She served her bachelor and masters at San Diego State University and completed her dietary internship at Sodexo. Her focus areas include metabolism, bowel health, obesity and weight control.

Elizabeth ShawMS, RDN, CPT is a nutritionist, four-gangs cookbook author and early nutritional pioneer in fertility nutrition. She is the president and owner of the US-based nutrition communication and consulting firm Shaw Simple Swaps.

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What are unsaturated fatty acids?

Known as “the good fat” receives unsaturated fatty acids for their advantageous effects on health. In fact, consumption of some types of unsaturated fatty acids has been shown to improve heart health and memory and lower one’s risk of developing other conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and more (7).

Unsaturated fatty acids consist of two groups:

• EnhOsaturated fat (MUFA)
  • These fatty acids contain a single unsaturated carbon double bonding, making them liquid at room temperature (8).
  • The most common kind of mufa in the diet is omega-9 fatty acids (9). However, these are not important, which means your body can also make them on your own!
  • Common Diet Sources for MUFAs include (8):

• Plant -based oils: olives, peanut, canola, sesame
• Food sources: Avocado, nuts and nuts and seeds

• Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA)
  • These fats consist of two or more unsaturated carbon double bonds between molecules, which also makes them liquid at room temperature (10).
  • There are two common kinds of puffs in the diet: omega-6 fat and omega-3 fat (10).
  • Ordinary diet sources for PUFAs include (10.11):

• Omega-3s:
  • Food: fat fish, like tuna, salmon, mackerel, walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, soybeans
  • Oils: canola, soybean, flaxseed
• Omega-6s:
  • Food: almonds, peanuts, walnuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, eggs
  • Oils: Saplor Oil, Sunflower Oil, Soybean Oil

Differences between saturated and unsaturated fat

As a dietitian, I really don’t like labeling of foods like good or bad, as all foods can have a place in a balanced diet when moderation is practiced. That said, it is true that there is a reason why saturated fat continues to be beaten with the “bad” connotation, while unsaturated fat gets the glory that comes with being the “golden child” when It comes to total health.

E.g. Can MyFitnessPal Dietist Brookell White Shares, “Enuncticated Fat Specifically Help Maintain Lipoprotein (HDL) with high density (HDL) (the good kind of blood fat) and reduce LDL cholesterol, while polyunsaturated fatty acid can help lower your LDL” ( 8, 8, 10:11).

The American Heart Association (AHA) encourages consumers to swap out saturated fat for unsaturated options because of their role on these blood lipid markers (10). And White agrees that writing, “replacing saturated fatty acids with these can help reduce cholesterol and your risk of heart disease.”

Dietary recommendations

Here are the latest total fat and saturated fat recommendations to Americans.

• Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) (12)

AMDR for dietary fat is set to 20 to 35% of daily calories.

For a person who follows a diet of 2000 calories, it would mean that approx. 400 to 700 calories would come from fat or approx. 44 to 77 grams of fat.

• 2020-2025 Dietary guidelines for Americans (DGA) (13)

DGA’s recommends no more than 10% of daily calories that come from saturated fat sources.

For a person who follows a diet of 2000 calories, this would mean about 200 calories coming from saturated fat, or approx. 22 grams total per Day.

• American Heart Association (AHA)

The total fat intake should be approx. 30 to 35% of calories, with no more than 6% of calories coming from saturated fat (14).

For someone who follows a diet of 2000 calories, this would be about 120 calories in total, or 13 grams of saturated fat per day. Day (3).

Dietitians, even included, recommend considering your family history and genetics when you find out if it is best to be more strictly with your saturated fat intake of 6% of daily calories or if you have a little more flexibility to near the 10% . For example, if you have a history of high cholesterol, heart disease or other complications that run in your family, your personal recommendations will look different than someone without genetic history of heart disease.

Working with a registered dietitian nutrition physiologist is one of the best ways to decide what your needs are to achieve your personal health goals.

Tips for choosing healthier fat settings

“When in doubt, share it.”

This is the motto I use with my clients to encourage moderation, not deprivation, even when it comes to these healthier fat settings. For example, nuts are a great source of unsaturated fat. While they are a heart -healthy food, they are also calorically dense, which means you can easily go overboard on your daily energy needs if you are not careful with your portion size.

Embrace cooking at home.

Choosing homemade, including roasting, baking, airflyding and even sautéing with unsaturated oils, such as Canola or olive oil, are better-for-you-cooking methods that can help you reach your weight loss goals while keeping your fat intake in control. Using unsaturated fat sources that extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil to finish a bowl is a great way to reap the benefits of these fat offering.

Register help from simple swaps in the kitchen.

Eat less saturated and more unsaturated fat by experimenting with the following swaps in your recipes:

• Replace beef with fatty fish
• Replace Cow Milk with Soy Milk
• Top bowls and stews with nuts and seeds over cheese
• Use avocado over crème fraiche
• Use olives, avocado or rapeseed oil instead of butter

Frequently asked questions (frequently asked questions)

The lower line

Dietary fat plays a crucial role in the body, which is why it is recommended that 20 to 35% of your daily calories come from this food group (12). However, the type of fat you eat means with unsaturated fats positive health benefits, such as an improvement in heart health, and saturated fat with the opposite effect (3.7). Logging your food in MyfitnessPal can help you understand how much and what kind of fat you eat.

Limitation of desserts, snack food, whole milk dairy and red meat in your diet will help reduce your dietary intake of saturated fat. Increasing the amount of avocado, nuts and seeds in your diet will help you increase your intake of unsaturated fat and offer these good-for-you health benefits. To help make it easier to choose better-for-you-fat, consider trying one of MyFitnessPal’s plans, as well as Eat Green Plan that prioritizes recipes and foods with low saturated fat.

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