All About Fats (The Good and the Bad)

By: Shaylyn Tinari, MS, RD, LDN

I’m sure by now you have heard the term “healthy fats” but what does that really mean? Let’s start with the basics. Fats do not make you fat. Any food consumed in excess can make you gain weight. Fats are a type of macronutrient. Macronutrients are the main nutrients that make up the food we eat. Everything you eat and drink falls under one of the three macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Just like carbohydrates and proteins, there are healthy food sources of fats and less healthy food sources.

There are 4 types of fats: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and trans fat. The healthy fats are considered the unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

It is recommended to consume 25-30% of your daily calories from fat sources. Let’s say you are eating 2,000 calories per day, 25-30% would be 55g-67g of total fat per day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 recommends consuming less than 10% of your calories per day from saturated fat. That means if you are eating 2,000 calories per day, you would want to eat less than 22g of saturated fat. Let’s break it down by type of fat.

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, the breakdown of how much fat you want to eat in one day and what kind of fat is below.

Total fat: 55-67g

Saturated fat: <23g
*if you have heart disease or risk of heart disease, you may want to consume even less. The American Heart Association recommends 5-6% saturated fat per day which would be <14g per day.

Unsaturated fats (mono and poly): 33-45g

Trans fat: 0g

So that’s great, but how can I incorporate more healthy fats into my diet and why are some better for me than others?

Polyunsaturated fats: eating a diet that emphasizes more poly and monounsaturated fats and less saturated and trans fat can reduce your cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Foods that contain polyunsaturated fat: oils such as soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower oil, nuts and seeds, and tofu and soybeans.

Monounsaturated fats: eating a diet that emphasizes more poly and monounsaturated fats and less saturated and trans fat can reduce your cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Foods that contain monounsaturated fat: oils such as olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, and peanut oil, avocados, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, and nuts and seeds.

Saturated fats: eating a diet high in saturated fat can increase your cholesterol and raise your risk of heart disease. Foods that contain saturated fat: fatty beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, lard and cream, butter, cheese, dairy products, coconut oil, fried foods, and baked goods. Evidence shows that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats is associated with better heart-health outcomes.

Trans fats: artificial trans fats, a modified form of vegetable oils, raise your bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and lower your good cholesterol levels (HDL). Eating any amount of trans fat can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Luckily, you should not see trans fat in any food you’re consuming in the US because it was banned in 2015. However, just to be safe, trans fat on an ingredient list is “partially hydrogenated oils.”

Some tips to get you started – easy ways to swap out saturated fats for unsaturated fats:

Use olive oil or canola oil instead of butter
Pair peanut butter or another nut butter instead of cheese with fruit
Choose grilled or baked options while out to eat instead of fried or battered
Swap coconut oil for olive oil

Having a difficult time figuring out where your fat foods are coming from or how to eat healthier fats? Contact the dietitians at Yummy Body Nutrition – we can help!

Marinath J

16:54 19 Mar 20

Being active and eating healthy always made me think that I was eating right and I didn't have a need to ever talk to a nutritionist. Just so my insurance had free nutrition counselling, I thought of consulting one purely for the sake of it. Having zero expectations and thinking that might be my first and only visit, I had my first consultation with Shay after having met her and Ha during my gym event. Oh boy, was I wrong about everything! Shay literally transformed the way I looked at food. She taught me a simple yet the most important thing about reading a product's nutrition label. I knew fats comprised of good and bad but I never cared to go in detail. I used to see just the total fat content in a product, but its the bad fat content breakdown that actually matters. Another huge thing she helped with was figuring out the amount of protein I should take per meal. I worked out regularly and ate right, but I was losing muscle. She sorted this out by suggesting to aim for 28g of protein every meal. And voila, my muscle mass increased by 2.5% in under a month. Shay gave me inputs on various fibrous and protein rich products that are available in the market. Figuring out the amount of macros I need every meal actually changed the way I grocery shopped. This also helps me in not overeating or indulge in excessive or under purchase anything. The reason I would vouch for Yummy Body and Shay is because of their genuine care towards clients. Prior to my second visit, I was impacted by this documentary on Netflix about Veganism and I told Shay about how I want to try it (and I LOVE meat lol). Shay, being a non-meat eater herself, didn't preach me into doing that, but rather was rational in making me realize that every "diet" has its benefits and not everything you see might be true. Its important to experiment, analyze and figure out what works for you and your body. I hate the term diet, as eating is a part of our lifestyle and diet makes it sound like something you do temporarily for a short term gain. Consistency is key and I could resonate that philosophy with Yummy Body. Of course there would be a lot of other authentic nutritionists and I really hope there are. All I would say is, you could never go wrong with Yummy Body and I'm happy that I was wrong and ignorant about nutrition before. Remember, eating should be FUN and not a boring chore. LOVE your food and the rest will follow!

Rachel Young

16:59 13 Mar 20

My experience with Yummy Body Nutrition was outstanding. I met with a registered dietitian named Shay who helped me in more ways than I can write in this post. For years I’ve remained the same weight with no real visible progress. Additionally, within the last year I’ve noticed a significant amount of hair loss. My hair stylist mentioned that it seemed like a problem from “within” and could be my diet. As a result, I made an appointment with Shay who helped me understand areas in which my nutrition was lacking. About 4-5 months later and my hair has made tremendous strides. Every time I get my hair done my stylist mentions how much progress I’ve made. Not only has my hair grown back but I am visibly more fit, feel healthier, and have way more energy. With all of that said, I couldn’t be more thankful to have worked with Shay and look forward to working with her in the future to reach my goals!

Alissa Silverman

04:52 27 Feb 20

Yummy Body Nutrition makes food choices and healthy eating fun! Ha has found a creative way to excite her community through her social media content by highlighting her innovative spin on nutrition! She is an extraordinary dietician who goes above and beyond the call of duty for her clients. She is highly resourceful when it comes to making nutritional plans that work with her clients busy lifestyles. Her reputation and commitment to excellence in client care make her a true asset to the field. Overall, Ha and Yummy Body Nutrition are deeply invested in ensuring the health and well-being for those that they serve!

Jacob Brooks

16:29 30 Jan 20

Shay changed my whole relationship to eating for the better. Within a month of first meeting with her i lost a significant amount of fat and gained a pound of muscle and I did not even find my new eating habits stressful. I have a much better diet now and if anything enjoy eating more, while having maintained my body goals for a year now.

Maryam Hallaj

16:06 26 Dec 19

I could not recommend Shay more! She is a supportive guide in any food & health journey and puts the thought and care to learn who you are as a person and how best to support YOU. She helped me address my health concerns, including high blood pressure, and has given me the tools to make informed decisions about my food and exercise. Shay provides a judgement free yet constructive zone to create goals and discuss the journey in meeting those goals.

All About Fats (The Good and the Bad)

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