Not all fat is created equal!
Fatty acids are essential for hormone production and distribution, insulation, immunity, cognition, cardiovascular health and cell function.
Worldwide health recommendations are under the consensus that humans should prioritise poly and monounsaturated sources of fat over saturated and trans sources. To do so, these poly/mono sources can be obtained from mainly plants and oily fish compared to fatty cuts of meat and discretionary foods respectively. Keep in mind it is also recommended to limit saturated fat intake to <10% of total daily energy intake and to avoid trans fats, which would be ~22g/day or less for an individual consuming 2,000 cal/day.
As dietitians we advocate for consuming dietary fat from a variety of sources to assist with adequate micronutrient intake, dietary diversity, and an appropriate ratio of poly:mono:saturated sources of fat. When looking beyond energy intake (1g fat = 9 calories), food choices that are rich in dietary fat will provide a unique profile of micronutrients, fibre types, and macronutrients. Thus, it’s important to consume a variety of sources across the day to ensure you have nutrient diversity within your dietary pattern.
It can be both strategic and nutritionally beneficial to distribute fat intake evenly between main meals (~20-30% of daily fat intake/meal) to assist with satiation, sustained energy levels, rate of gastric emptying, and fat-soluble vitamin absorption. Many vitamins that we obtain in our diet (mainly from fruits and vegetables) are fat soluble, meaning their ability to be absorbed is significantly increased in the presence of fat. Therefore, adding nutritious fat sources to your vegetable dishes such as extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, eggs, olives, cheese, nuts and/or seeds can majorly assist the absorption of vitamin A, D, E, and K. However, if speed of digestion is a priority pre or post-exercise, consider lowering your fat intake to 0-10% of total daily intake within these respective meals.
Current guidelines suggest that 20-35% of total energy intake should be obtain from fat, or more specifically 0.7-1.5g/kg/day, which would be 49-105g/fat/day for a 70kg individual. There is evidence to suggest that lower fat intakes during periods of energy restriction may be beneficial to allow for higher intakes of fibrous plant matter, and to prioritise carbohydrate consumption for exercise performance and recovery.
Let us know, when tracking your intake do you only pay attention to “total fat” macros, or do you look deeper into the specific sub-types?