What counts as fat? Are some fats better than other fats? While fats are essential for normal body function, some fats are better for you than others. Trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol are less healthy than polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
How much total dietary fat do I need?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommends that Americans:
- Consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fats.
- Replace solid fats with oils when possible.
- Limit foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fatty acids (such as hydrogenated oils), and keep total trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
- Eat fewer than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day.
- Reduce intake of calories from solid fats.
|Age Group||Total Fat Limits|
|Children ages 2 to 3||30% to 40% of total calories|
|Children and adolescents ages 4 to 18||25% to 35% of total calories|
|Adults, ages 19 and older||20% to 35% of total calories|
- ChooseMyPlate.gov lets you enter your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level to get a meal plan specific to your calorie needs.
- DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan (PDF-980k) provides a healthy eating plan with menu examples and recipes to get you started.