The Skinny on Fat: The right kind, not too much, not too little

Too many get-leaners or eat-cleaners fall for the myth that all fats are equal— equally bad. But fats don’t always deserve their bad rep; your body needs some fat for digestion, healthy skin, (warmth!), and protection.

Fats can also help you lose weight by curbing your hunger. So here’s our tip: don’t go no-fat. Avoid bad fat and go for good fat for about 20-35% of your daily calories (that’s 200-700 calories for a 2000 calorie/day diet).

Good fats—called monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats— are found in things like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. Good fats are good for your skin, heart and cholesterol levels.

Bad fats - saturated fats and trans fats – are found in fried foods, candy bars, ice cream, and packaged snack foods. You want to limit saturated fat to 10% of your daily calories, and trans fats to 1%.

A quick way to distinguish good fats from bad fats is to look at their consistency at room temperature: good fats tend to be liquid, bad fats solid. You can also check the nutrition label, which will break down the fat content into saturated, trans, and “other (usually good)” fats. 

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