Have you ever sat down at a cafe with a friend when they started throwing a bit of shade because you asked for your latte to be made with whole milk? Or because you added cheese, bacon and avocado to your breakfast sandwich order? Maybe they went so far as to let you know that “fats are unhealthy.” This is something many of us have heard but also leads many of us to wonder: Is it grounded in reality?
The truth is, it’s a bit misleading to say all fats are bad for you. Some fats are unhealthy — such as trans fats — but some fats, like those found in olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds, are not only healthy but can even lower your risk of illnesses like heart disease.
Keep reading to better understand the truth around fats, with important information and a healthy dose of nuance shared by registered dietitians. We’ll talk about which fats can be healthy, which fats you might want to stay away from and how much fat you should eat each day.
So, is fat really that bad for you?
“Fats often get a bad rap, but they are not as bad for us as some lead us to believe,” said Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian. “Certain fats play a crucial role in various bodily functions, like energy storage, hormone function and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K.”
She explains that the key here is to focus on eating the right types of fats rather than avoiding all fats. “Incorporating healthy fats such as those found in avocados, nuts, seeds and oily cold-water fish may support heart health and aid in reducing inflammation,” Manaker said.
If this is the case, how did fats get so maligned? Maddie Pasquariello, a registered dietitian, explained that many people associate eating fats with gaining weight or are afraid to eat fats in fear that they will consume too many calories.
The ‘healthy’ types of fat
To perform at our best, we need to ensure we’re eating enough of certain types of fats.
“A diet with adequate amounts of sources of healthy fats — including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — can help reduce LDL cholesterol, [which is] also known as ‘bad cholesterol,’ provide us energy to keep us feeling full and help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins,” Pasquariello said. She added that dietary fats also play a role in important bodily processes like hormonal health and temperature regulation.
When talking about healthy unsaturated fats, Pasquariello pointed out that this includes omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. “Omega-3 fats help regulate inflammatory responses and higher intakes are associated with lower risks of heart disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, as well as other chronic conditions,” she said.
Your body can’t make omega-3s and omega-6s on its own, so it’s important to get them from your diet. Omega-6s can be found in many different types of foods, including nuts and seeds, vegetable oils, eggs, hemp seeds and many processed snacks. Omega-3s are a bit harder to come by and can be found in foods such as fatty fish, chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds, as well as in supplements like fish oil.
But even if a fat qualifies as a “healthy fat,” it’s not a good idea to eat unlimited amounts of it, especially given that fats are high in calories.
“While there isn’t a strict percentage or calorie goal recommended for consumption of unsaturated fat or total fat, keep in mind that most people already consume enough, or more than enough, fat,” Pasquariello said. “With that in mind, a general goal is to avoid taking in more than 35% of your total daily calories from sources of healthy fats like polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats.”
She said keeping this number closer to 20% or so may be better for most people, but this is highly individualized and depends on health factors and a person’s goals.
The less healthy types of fat
“In terms of the negative effects of dietary fat, we’re usually talking about one of the following: overconsumption of saturated fat, consumption of trans fats or excess fat consumption leading to excess caloric intake for those who are trying to maintain or lose weight,” Pasquariello explained.
Generally, saturated fats and trans fats are not the greatest for your health. Eating too much of these types of fat can lead to health problems like heart disease and increased cholesterol levels, according to Ashley Kitchens, a registered dietitian. A few years ago, trans fats were banned in the United States, although some packaged foods still contain trans fats in small amounts.
Meanwhile, meat and dairy products like fatty cuts of beef, butter, cheese and ice cream all contain saturated fat, as do plant-based items like coconut oil and palm oil. You don’t need to avoid saturated fats, but you may want to consider using them sparingly. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of calories per day and replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats. Still, more research is needed, especially given that some research in the past few years shows that some saturated fats may not have as bad of an impact on the body as once believed.
As mentioned, eating too much fat of any kind can also be problematic in terms of weight gain. “Fats contain 9 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram found in carbs and protein,” Pasquariello said. “Of course, most foods contain a mix of micronutrients, but eating foods high in fat, in excess, can lead to an overall increase in caloric intake because of these values, which can also be detrimental if you are trying to maintain or lose weight.”
How much fat should people eat each day?
“It’s recommended that about 20-35% of your daily calories come from fats, prioritizing healthy fats,” Kitchens said. For an adult who is consuming 2,000 calories per day, this might end up being between 44 and 78 grams of total fat.
“Keeping fat consumption relatively low to make room for other sources of calories in the diet like complex carbs, fiber-rich foods and protein is helpful,” she said. “There is no evidence to suggest that a diet higher in fat than these recommendations will be beneficial in the long run.”
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So, back to that leading question: Are fats really that bad for you? “Not at all,” Kitchens said. “Fats are an essential part of your diet, but it’s important to choose fats that support your health.”