Fat Intake Calculator: How Much Fat Per Day Is Needed?
Fat Intake Calculator
Dietary fats
Fat is indispensable for proper body functioning as there are specific body organs and consuming a low fat diet can have detrimental effects on brains, lungs, immune system and heart. This subset of lipids called fat is not only source of energy from the diet but also regulate processes from the cholesterol fats and the lipid molecules like those on the surface of the cells. It is prudent to have a clear vision about how much fat an individual’s body requires to perform perfectly. A fat intake calculator is handy when you hunt for the right tool to judge quantity of fat intake.
The link between low fat consumption and weakness of lungs is directly proportional. It is a challenge to determine how much grams and what kind of fat a human body needs, but it is important to have this detail. For this popularity of how many grams of fat per day calculator is uphill. Though fat is one of the compulsory nutrients, along carbohydrates and proteins in the diet, it is worth mentioning there remains a subtle balance flanked by what is little and what is too much fat consumption.
Brief overview of fat intake calculator
To create a dietary detail it is mandatory to envisage the quantifiable fat intake amount. Tracking fat consumption amount in grams helps to create the perfect dietary guideline. This fat intake calculation tool or daily fat intake calculator estimate your daily fat needs based on your personal details. The online fat intake calculator might also need personal data like gender, height, age and weight to initiate the calculation to deduce amount of required fat in a human body.
While using the fat intake calculator following details are necessary:
To calculate fat percentage from the entire diet, the fat intake calculator first computes the daily calorie needs using the Mifflin-St Jeor equations as mentioned below:
Adults are recommended to have take 20 – 35% of their daily calorie intake from fat.
Foods with high fat content
Broadly fats can be divided into two main categories as follows:
Saturated fat or fatty acids remain present in beef, lamb, chicken, , pork, egg yolk etc. Besides, this kind of fats also remains within foods like butter, milk, ice-cream and cheese. Saturated fatty acids remain high in oils like coconut oil, palm oil, margarine etc. The junk foods like burgers, pies, cookies are high in sugars as well as saturated fats. On the contrary unsaturated fats remain in canola oil, peanut oil, olive oil, pecans and avocados. There remain a different kind of fat called polysaturated fatty acids and they are mainly found in corn, soybean, sunflower etc. Broadly it can be considered that fish and vegetable oils, fatty foods like hummus, avocado, nuts and seeds contain beneficial fats.
Determining your daily fat consumption
Balancing the type of fat and the amount of fat is a tricky take. Intake of unsaturated fat has immense health benefits. Especially children need to take fat to stay healthy and it is advisable for them to take whole milk instead of low fat milk. It is worth mentioning that excess intake of this kind of fat has negative side effects.
Replacement of saturated fat with unsaturated fat is a good idea. Elimination of trans fat from diet ensures better health. It is recommended to consume cholesterol less than 300 mg a day. Consumption of less than 10% of daily caloric requirement in the form of saturated fatty acid is okay. But limiting intake of less than 7% saturated fat a day reduces probabilities of heart disease. While calculating daily fat intake with the help of fat intake calculator, a quick look at fat intake by age can be helpful.
Age | Suggested fat intake (in percentage: %) |
2-3 | 30 % to 40% of total calories |
4-18 | 25% to 35% of total calories |
After 19 | 20% to 35% of total Calories |
Basic calculation of daily fat intake
To calculate daily fat intake divide calories from food and drink from fat by total calories (It is noteworthy that this details are available in product label). Next, multiply it by 100.
Example: When a 600 calorie food has 120 calories from fat, it is necessary to divide 120 by 600. Then multiply it by 100 to get the percentage. Here, the percentage is 20.
(120÷600=0.2 / 0.2x100=20).
Count calories from fat
Health consciousness is at a rise across planet and big time requirement of fat intake calculator has been observed. Following the simple calculation as described in the section above it is wise to calculate calories from fat. Kids should have 25% to 30% of total calories from fat and toddlers should take 30% to 40% of total calories from fats. In case of adults
To calculate calories from fat, locate the quantity of fat from the product label. Fresh products might not have the trans fat details, it is advisable to check from the nutritional database. Next, total grams of fat should be multiplied by nine. There remain nine calories in one gram of fat.
Amount of fat an individual needs
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered as healthy fats while Saturated and Trans fats are considered to be unhealthy fats.
While fat is not converted to energy and accumulates within an individual’s body, it is harmful and results weight gain and further health complications. Saturated fats derived from high fat meats and dairy must be avoided.
Foods with fat content help human body in vitamin absorption such as A, D or E.
Excessive fat intake influences rise in cholesterol levels. And this in turn results heart disease, diabetes, stroke and obesity. It is recommended to calculate calories from fat and keep observation on calorie intake.
1 gram of fat has 9 calories
Therefore, the average number of grams based on a 2000 calories/day intake would range between 44 to 78 grams.
Example of a calculation
If a male, aged 30 year and weighing 178 lbs with a height of 5ft 8in with a Light exercise lifestyle and consumes 25% of diet comprising of fat:
For normal maintenance of his body, fat intake requirement, without any weight loss and weight gain and with 4 meals a day: 93.1 grams.
Fat in regular diet plan
In every diet striking a balance between fat, carbohydrate and protein is necessary, this is to attain a good health. Increase or decrease of fat content can directly influence calorie accumulation and expenditure. Dieticians suggest that 30 % of every diet should be fat and precisely 70% of this fat content needs to be unsaturated fat. Intake of polyunsaturated fats like linoleic acid in the form of salad oil and fatty acid is advisable. It is an essential nutrient as it helps to produce fatty acids like omega-6.
Monitor fat intake can weight loss
Health calculators help to calculate calories accumulated from fat and calories burnt during exercise, daily lifestyle and work. The goal of achieving weight loss is possible when quantity of fat intake is lesser than the calories burn or calorie expenditure. By following the attainable expenditure and taking fat lesser than that amount definitely results loss in weight. It is quite essential to calculate calories from fat before initiating the exercise diet to lose weight; else lack or deficit of body fat can lead to physical degeneration of an individual.
Different Types of Fat
Fat, along with carbohydrates and proteins, is one of three macronutrients that provide the energy necessary for a person's metabolic system to function, and can be acquired through consuming various foods. There are numerous types of dietary fat including saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and omega-3 fatty acids. While dietary fat is essential to proper body function, excess dietary fat leads to weight gain, and excess weight is linked to poor health outcomes. Refer to the Body Fat Calculator for more information regarding excess fat.
Unhealthy Dietary Fat
Saturated Fat
Certain types of dietary fat are more harmful than others. Saturated fat is one of the more harmful types of fat and is mostly found in sources of food derived from animals; red meat, poultry, and dairy products. Saturated fat can also be found in various nuts, oils, and seeds. There exists some controversy surrounding the effects of saturated fat on risk of disease, but saturated fat is largely considered harmful. Sources such as Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association among many others recommend a diet that is low in saturated fat, arguing that saturated fat raises the levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterols, and can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.1
Trans Fat
Trans fat is a type of dietary fat that occurs naturally in small amounts in some foods, but most of the trans fat that people encounter is the result of a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. Highly processed foods, such as fast food, tend to have high amounts of trans fats, and reducing consumption of these types of food is generally beneficial to a person's health.
Trans fats are commonly regarded as the "worst" type of dietary fat, are not essential, and have no known benefits to human health.2 Trans fats have been shown to increase the risk of coronary artery disease by increasing levels of LDL cholesterols, while decreasing the levels of "good" high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterols. It can also increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Note that by law, a serving of food that contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat can be labeled as having 0 grams of trans fat. It is possible to fully avoid trans fat from processed foods by ensuring that any food labeled as having 0 grams of trans fat also has no ingredient involving the term "partially hydrogenated."1
Healthier Dietary Fat
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat are two types of unsaturated fat that are typically found in a variety of foods and oils, with polyunsaturated fat more commonly being found in plant-based foods and oils. Studies have shown that both of these types of unsaturated fat, in small amounts, can help reduce LDL cholesterol, while potentially increasing HDL cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat that is found in certain fish, has been found to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease.
Daily Fat Intake
So far, there is no golden rule guiding daily fat intake. Generally, some fat intake, particularly intake of unsaturated fats, can have beneficial effects on the human body. Children especially need some fat in their diets to be healthy. It's generally recommended that a child drink whole milk instead of low fat or no-fat milk once they stop breastfeeding. However, any type of fat, including these healthier dietary fats, can have negative effects when consumed in excess. Below are some guidelines regarding the amount and types of fat a person should consume.
- Consume less than 10% of daily caloric needs in the form of saturated fats. Limiting consumption to less than 7% has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats if possible.
- Minimize consumption of trans fats.
- Consume less than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol each day.