How Much Fat Does the Body Need?
By Chauncey Crandall, M.D.
The growth in popularity of the low-carb, high-fat keto diet raises questions about how much fat is healthy and how much the human body needs every day to thrive.
The body uses fat for many health functions, including processing fat-soluble vitamins like A and E. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, healthy adults should get between 20% and 35% of their calories from fat.
To calculate a more personal daily range of fat grams, the American Council on Exercise suggests a simple formula. For the minimum amount, multiply your weight (in pounds) by 0.4, and for the maximum, multiply it by 0.5. For a person weighing 140 pounds, that's between 56 and 70 grams of fat each day.
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What kinds of fats a person eats matter, too. Most should be from mono- and polyunsaturated fat foods. Limit saturated fats and avoid trans fats altogether.
Here’s a guide to help in identifying types of fats:
Monounsaturated fats: olive, canola, peanut, safflower, and sunflower oils; avocados; peanuts and most nuts.
Polyunsaturated fats: fatty fish such as trout, herring, and salmon; walnuts; flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds; sunflower, corn, and soybean oils.
Saturated fats: butter, lard, coconut and coconut oil, cocoa butter, palm oil, and palm kernel oil; meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy.
Trans fats: typically, partially hydrogenated oils found in packaged goods from non-dairy creamers to some microwave popcorn.