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The first step is to understand your personal fat limits — that is, how much fat you should consume for a balanced diet. These limits depend on whether you have high cholesterol, heart disease, or diabetes. Once you're clear on your limits, the next step is learning how to select foods and portion sizes that keep you within those limits.
Regardless of whether you have high cholesterol, heart disease, or diabetes:
- Keep your total fat intake between 25% to 35% of your daily calorie consumption. This includes all types of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Read on to learn how to manage this effectively.
- Limit your saturated fat intake to less than 7% of your total daily calories.
These percentage guidelines were provided by the May 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program and the American Heart Association. But what do these percentages really mean? How do they help you plan your meals? This can be confusing for many. Keep reading to find out more.
How Can I Determine the Percentage of Fat in My Diet?
You have two main options to understand and manage these fat intake limits.
- Learn how to calculate the percentage of calories from fat in your meals. Then ensure that you stay within the recommended range.
- Find out how many grams of fat you should consume daily, and aim to stay at or below this amount. Keeping track by writing down your fat intake throughout the day may help.
No matter which method you choose, keep this in mind. The recommended limits of 25% to 35% of calories from fat and less than 7% of calories from saturated fat should be followed over the course of several days. You don’t need to apply these limits to every single food you eat. It's perfectly fine to consume some higher-fat foods as long as you balance them with foods lower in fat.
Additionally, there’s no need to go significantly below these limits unless advised by your doctor. It's important to get some fat in your diet, as it serves vital functions in your body. For example, fat helps transport certain vitamins through your bloodstream, maintains skin health, and provides energy.
