Fat Intake Calculator

Different Types of Fat

Fat, along with carbohydrates and proteins, is one of three macronutrients that provide the energy necessary for a person's metabolic system to function. There are numerous types of dietary fat, including saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and omega-3 fatty acids.

While dietary fat is essential to proper brain and body function, excess dietary fat leads to a caloric surplus and weight gain. Excess weight is heavily linked to poor health outcomes.

Unhealthy Dietary Fat

Saturated Fat

Certain types of dietary fat are more harmful than others. Saturated fat is considered one of the more harmful types of fat and is mostly found in sources of food derived from animals: red meat, poultry, and dairy products. Saturated fat can also be found in various nuts, oils, and seeds.

There exists some controversy surrounding the effects of saturated fat on the risk of disease, but saturated fat is largely considered harmful when eaten in high quantities. Sources such as the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association recommend a diet that is low in saturated fat, arguing that saturated fat raises the levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterols, and can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Trans Fat

Trans fat is a type of dietary fat that occurs naturally in small amounts in some foods, but most of the trans fat that people encounter is the result of an artificial food processing method called partial hydrogenation. Highly processed foods, such as fast food, tend to have high amounts of trans fats.

Trans fats are commonly regarded as the "worst" type of dietary fat. They are not essential and have no known benefits to human health. Trans fats have been shown to increase the risk of coronary artery disease by increasing levels of LDL (bad) cholesterols while simultaneously decreasing the levels of HDL (good) cholesterols.

Note: By law, a serving of food that contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat can be labeled as having "0 grams of trans fat." To fully avoid trans fat, ensure that any processed food you buy has no ingredient involving the term "partially hydrogenated."

Healthier Dietary Fat

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are two types of unsaturated fat that are typically found in a variety of foods and oils, with polyunsaturated fat more commonly found in plant-based foods. Studies have shown that both of these types of unsaturated fat, in controlled amounts, can help reduce LDL cholesterol while potentially increasing HDL cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.

Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat that is rich in certain fish (like salmon and mackerel), have been found to heavily decrease the risk of coronary artery disease.

Daily Fat Intake Guidelines

There is no single golden rule guiding daily fat intake, as caloric needs vary drastically by age, weight, and activity level. Generally, some fat intake—particularly intake of unsaturated fats—is absolutely necessary. For example, children need high fat in their diets to be healthy, which is why it's generally recommended that a child drink whole milk instead of low-fat milk once they stop breastfeeding.

However, any type of fat can have negative effects when consumed in excess (1 gram of fat contains 9 calories, compared to 4 calories for carbs and protein). Below are general medical guidelines regarding fat consumption:

• Keep total fat intake between 20% to 35% of your total daily calories.
• Consume less than 10% of daily caloric needs in the form of saturated fats. Limiting saturated fat consumption to less than 7% has been shown to aggressively reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats whenever possible.
• Minimize consumption of trans fats to near zero.
• Consume less than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol each day.

Suggested Fat Intake by Age