Discover the Benefits of Healthy Fats in Your Diet

While it’s not technically part of her job description, Dina Dugan, RD, a clinical dietician at Baystate Noble Hospital, finds herself regularly defending dietary fat.

“For years, fat has gotten a bad rap,” she says, “which is unfortunate as dietary fats are a necessary part of body composition. They provide energy, support cell function, and help with the absorption of certain vitamins. They even produce prostaglandins, a hormone-like substance that regulate vital bodily functions like blood pressure, inflammation, blood clotting, and pain.”

But, as Dugan is quick to note, not all fats are created equal. Understanding the differences between them is important for maintaining a healthy diet.

How Much Fat Should You Eat?

While fats are necessary for a healthy diet, you need to be mindful of how much of each type you consume and the number of calories in fat.

“All types of fats provide 9 calories per gram,” explains Dugan. “Consuming them in moderation is crucial to prevent weight gain and related health issues.”

“In general,” she adds, “you should aim to get 20–35% of your daily calories from fat, and less than 10% of that should come from saturated fat. However, the recommendation of the American Heart Association for those with high blood cholesterol is to limit saturated fat to no more than 5% of your daily calories.”

To calculate your daily fat range, you need to multiply the number of calories you eat or want to eat by the recommended percentages and divide that by 9 (the number calories per gram of fat).

For example, if you eat 2,000 calories per day, your total daily fat in grams calculation will look like this: (2000 calories x 30%) ÷ 9 = 67 grams of TOTAL fat per day

The calculation for how the recommend daily amount grams of saturated fats will look like this: (2000 calories x 1%) ÷ 9 = 22 grams of SATURATED fat per day

“Once you’ve calculated that,” says Dugan, “it falls to you to track your specific type of fat intake by reading food nutrition labels and making wise choices. The good news is that many prepared foods now come in low-fat versions, which makes reducing saturated fat intake a little easier. As for when you’re cooking, choose unsaturated fats whenever possible and look to include omega-3 fats in your daily diet. The goal isn’t to eliminate fats entirely as our bodies actually need them. It’s to consume the best possible options for your health.”