Recommended Daily Fat Intake
Total calories per day
Saturated fat in grams
Total fat in grams
1,600 18 or less 53
2,0001 20 or less 65
2,200 24 or less 73
2,5001 25 or less 80
2,800 31 or less 93
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Dietary Fat
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 recommend 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
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/fat/index.html
8 Easy Ways to Load Up on Healthy Omega-3 Fats
By SARAH BALDAUF, KURTIS HIATT
Filling up on omega-3 fatty acids does a body good. These polyunsaturated fats, which play a crucial role in how your body's cells function, have been shown to reduce harmful
inflammation that could lead to heart disease, decrease triglyceride levels and blood
pressure, and prevent fatal heart arrhythmias. Your body can't produce omega-3s, though, so you've got to be diligent about making sure your diet provides them. The good news is the fatty acids hide in tons of foods, like beans, certain oils and veggies, and—as you probably know—seafood. Take a look at these favorite sources.
Seafood
You should eat fish a couple times a week. The federal government's latest dietary
guidelines, released in early 2011, suggest a specific amount—8 ounces a week—to get an average total daily intake of 250 mg. of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two main types of omega-3s. Here's a look at some popular fish and shellfish and their approximate total content of those two fatty acids per 4-ounce portion:
• Salmon (Atlantic, Chinook, Coho): 1,200-2,400 mg.
• Anchovies: 2,300-2,400 mg.
• Bluefin tuna: 1,700 mg; yellowfin tuna: 150-350; canned: 150-300 mg.
• Sardines: 1,100-1,600 mg.
• Trout: 1,000-1,100 mg.
• Crab: 200-550 mg.
• Cod: 200 mg.
• Scallops: 200 mg.
• Lobsters: 200 mg.
• Tilapia: 150 mg.
• Shrimp: 100 mg.
Oils
Throw a dash of flaxseed oil onto salad and start cooking with canola or soybean oil for a nice hit of omega-3. These carry alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the type of omega-3 found in some vegetable oils, which the body partially converts to EPA and DHA.
Beans
Kidney, pinto, and mungo beans will do you right.
Nuts and seeds
Add a nutty flavor to salad, yogurt, or morning muesli with walnuts or flaxseed. A small handful of either will up your omega-3 intake.
Spinach
Popeye was on to something. Serve up this leafy green in a salad, or sauté it and add it to a whole-grain pasta dish.
Winter squash
This veggie makes an interesting side dish that boosts your omega-3 intake.
Broccoli and cauliflower
These cruciferous veggies are on your side when it comes to omega-3s.
Dietary supplements
If you don't get enough of any of these sources of omega-3s, you might want to consider taking a supplement, especially if you have heart disease or high triglycerides
Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-‐news/diet-‐fitness/diet/articles/2011/04/14/8-‐easy-‐
ways-‐to-‐load-‐up-‐on-‐healthy-‐omega-‐3-‐fats
Transfats:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 and the Institute of Medicine recommend that individuals keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.1, 2 There are two main sources of dietary trans fatty acids (trans fat). Naturally occurring trans fat is found in small amounts in the fatty parts of meat and dairy products. Artificial trans fat comes from foods that contain partially hydrogenated oil
and is formed when hydrogen is added to liquid oil turning it into solid fat. Often food manufacturers use artificial trans fat in food products because it is inexpensive and it increases the food’s shelf life, stability, and texture.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA)1
The DGA recommend that individuals keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible, especially by limiting foods that contain synthetic [artificial] sources of trans fats, such as partially hydrogenated oils, and by limiting other solid fats.
Consuming trans fat increases low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol. This risk factor contributes to the leading cause of death in the U.S. – coronary heart disease (CHD).1 Trans fat may also have other adverse health effects like decreasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good") cholesterol. Further reducing trans fat consumption by avoiding artificial trans fat could prevent 10,000-20,000 heart attacks and 3,000-7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year in the U.S.†
Trans fat intake has significantly decreased in the US as a result of efforts to increase awareness of its health effects, Nutrition Facts label changes, industry efforts to voluntarily reformulate foods, and some state and local governments’ restriction of its use in restaurants and other food service outlets.
However, on average Americans still consume 1.3 grams (0.6% of energy) of artificial trans fat each day. 3 Major contributors to artificial trans fat intake include fried items, savory snacks (like microwave popcorn), frozen pizzas, cake, cookies, pie, margarines and spreads, ready-to-use frosting, and coffee creamers. The amount of trans fat can vary among similar food categories.
The amount of trans fat can vary within food categories3
Food category Range of trans fat per serving (g) Margarine and spreads 0.0-3.0 g
Cookies 0.0-3.5 g
Frozen pies 0.0-4.5 g Frozen pizza 0.0-5.0 g
Savory Snacks 0.0-7.0 g
Trans fat are also found in restaurant and cafeteria foods that contain or are prepared with partially hydrogenated oil. Currently, only about 1 in 5 Americans (20 percent) lives where there are policies that limit the use or sale of foods that contain more than 0.5 grams of artificial trans fat per serving.6
What Can Be Done To Reduce Artificial Trans Fat
Everyone can:
• Read the Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list to compare foods.
o Choose products with 0 grams trans fat.
o Check the Ingredient List to see if there is any partially hydrogenated oil in the product.
o Because products containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving can be labeled as having 0 grams trans fat, checking the Ingredient List is important to avoid all artificial trans fat.
• When choosing foods low in trans fat, make sure they are also low in saturated fat and cholesterol: look for foods with 5% of the Daily Value or less. Foods with 20% or more of the Daily Value of these two components are high.
• Use monounsaturated fat (canola and olive oil) and polyunsaturated fat (soybean, corn, and sunflower oil) in recipes that call for fat.
• A good way to avoid trans fat is to eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
• Ask your grocer to stock products free of “partially hydrogenated oil” and “shortening”.
• Talk with your favorite restaurant establishment about current use of partially hydrogenated oils or changing to a menu that is 100% free of “partially hydrogenated oil” and “shortening”.
• Choose restaurants that do not use partially hydrogenated oil to prepare food.
Restaurants and Cafeterias can:
• Change their frying and cooking oils to ones that do not contain any partially hydrogenated oil.
• Ask suppliers to provide products that do not contain partially hydrogenated oil and are low in saturated fat.
• Promote partially hydrogenated oil -free, and low saturated fat, items on the menu.
Food Producers and Processors can:
• Continue to reformulate products to remove partially hydrogenated oil by increasing the use of mono- and polyunsaturated fats as replacements.
• Find innovative ways to remove partially hydrogenated oil, without increasing saturated fat, from baked goods, frosting, and other products that currently contain significant amounts of trans fat.
State and Local Governments can:
• Increase public awareness about the use of partially hydrogenated oil in foods and cardiovascular risks of consuming trans fat.
• Adopt procurement guidelines regarding the sale and/or use of foods containing artificial trans fat (partially hydrogenated oil).
LDL cholesterol is affected by diet. Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don't is the first step in lowering your risk of heart disease. In addition to the LDL produced naturally by your body, saturated fat, trans-fatty acids and dietary cholesterol can also raise blood cholesterol. Replacement of saturated fat and trans fat with monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat might even help lower LDL cholesterol when eaten as part of a healthy diet.
The American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee strongly advises these fat guidelines for healthy Americans over age 2:
• Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day;
• Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories;
• Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories;
• The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as unsalted nuts and seeds, fish (especially oily fish, such as salmon, trout and herring, at least twice per week) and vegetable oils; and
• Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, for most people. If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams a day.
For example, a sedentary female who is 31–50 years old needs about 2,000 calories each day. Therefore, she should consume less than 15 g saturated fat, less than 2 g trans fat and between 56 and 77 grams of total fat each day (with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as fish, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils). It's easier to gauge how much healthy and unhealthy food you are eating by using a food diary to keep track of what you eat for a period of time.
