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Fat : How Much Is Enough? |
Although many of us think all fat is bad, dietary fat is actually essential to health. Fat not only supports organ structure and absorption of the fat-soluble nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, and K), it is also an essential part of every cell in the body. What concerns us about dietary fat is that it is very high in calories. Every gram of fat we eat contains 9 calories. A gram of carbohydrate or protein is only 4 calories. FAT CALORIES CAN ADD UP QUICKLY. FOR EXAMPLE: - A chicken burrito with rice, beans, sour cream, and guacamole has 1,530 total calories and 68 grams of fat. Try substituting chicken fajitas with rice and beans. A half order of these has 720 total calories and 22 grams of fat. Even if you ate the whole order of fajitas you would still have eaten less fat compared to the burrito.
- A 400g tuna salad sandwich with mayonnaise on the bread has 835 total calories and 56 grams of fat. A 600g roast beef sandwich with mustard has 460 calories and 12 grams of fat. An even better choice than these is a 600g turkey sandwich with mustard, because it has only 370 total calories and 6 grams of fat.
THE NATIONAL HEART FOUNDATION SUGGESTS THAT CONSUMPTION OF FAT BE 30 PERCENT OR LESS OF YOUR TOTAL DAY'S CALORIES. IN ADDITION: - less than 8 percent of those total calories should come from saturated fats (Saturated fat is high in cholesterol and includes animal fats and some oils. It is solid at room temperature.)
- polyunsaturated fat sources such as vegetable oils, nuts, and high-fat fish should be limited to no more than 10 percent of your total calories and
- monounsaturated fat sources, such as olive and canola oils, should be limited to no more than 15 percent of your total calories
Article #6947 Copyright (c) 2002 McKesson. All Rights Reserved. |
