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The Fat Content in Your Diet

Do you nitpick over every last calorie and crumb, but let fat content go by the wayside? Fat grams are just as important to consider as calories, and you may be surprised at which foods have a shockingly high fat content.

By Diana Rodriguez Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH

It's probably no surprise that greasy cheeseburgers, French fries, and pizza are loaded with fat. But did you know that even certain vegetables and healthy fish can have a high fat content? Keep in mind that fat is an important part of a healthy diet and while not all fat is bad, the fat content of a given meal should be evaluated just as closely as its calories.

Fat Content in Your Diet: How Much Fat Is Okay?

It's important to pay attention to how many fat grams you eat each day to make sure you're getting just the right amount of fat in your diet and no more.

The recommendation is that no more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat, says Anne Wolf, RD, a researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Based on the average daily total intake of 2,000 calories, this means we should eat less than 65 grams of fat each day. "Typically we're eating well over what we need," notes Wolf.

There are two kinds of fats, commonly considered "good" and "bad" fats. Saturated and trans fats are bad, as they are linked to a number of health problems, like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unsaturated fats — the good ones — can actually protect your body from some of these conditions. Still, that doesn't mean you can eat them without limit because too much of any fat, or of any food for that matter, can lead to weight gain.

When tracking the fat content of your meals, make sure that most of your fat intake is in the form of unsaturated fats, that less than 20 grams are coming from saturated fats, and that hardly any are from trans fat.

Fat Content in Your Diet: Fat in Everyday Foods

Think of the foods that frequently make up your daily meals. Have you ever considered their fat content? Here are some commonly eaten foods and where they weigh in on fat (typically the bad kinds):

Average fast-food hamburger: 36 grams
Average fast-food fish sandwich: 24 grams
10 French fries: 8 grams
One ounce of potato chips: 10 grams
One slice of cheese pizza: 8 grams
Two ounces of bologna: 16 grams
One hot dog: 14 grams
Three slices of cooked bacon: 10 grams
One ounce cheddar cheese: 8 grams
One cup whole milk: 7 grams
Two tablespoons of peanut butter: 14 grams
One teaspoon of butter or margarine: 4 grams
One serving of most breads, bagels, and cereals: about 1 gram

Good Fats That Promote Health and Prevent Disease

Super-Unsaturated Omega 3 Family:

Alpha-linolenic Acid (LNA) found in flax seed, hemp seed, canola, soy beans, walnuts and dark green leafy vegetables such as romaine lettuce and spinach. Flax seed is the richest source of Alpha-linolenic Acid. Flax seeds can be bought in little sacks from virtually any grocery store and kept tightly sealed in a container in the refrigerator. Sprinkle on salads, cereals, or in cups of fruit laced yogurt. LNA is involved in energy production. Like all Omega 3, a deficiency of LNA is strongly linked to the development of heart disease and cancer.
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) found in the oils of cold water fish, such as trout, salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna. Our bodies use EPA to make Series 3 prostaglandins, which control many inflammatory processes. People suffering from any kind of pain or cancer are low in Series 3 prostaglandins.
Stearidonic Acid (SDA) is found primarily in black currant seeds and some wild seeds. SDA is being carefully studied in its role in preventing and treating hormonally rooted cancers such as breast cancer, ovarian, testicular and prostate cancer.

Polyunsaturated Omega 6 Family:

Gamma-linolenic Acid (GLA) is found in the highest concentrations in borage oil, followed by black currant seeds, followed by evening primrose oil. Mother’s milk has traces of GLA.
Dihomogamma-linolenic Acid (DGLA) is found primarily in mother’s milk and infants receive DGLA during feeding that their bodies turn into Series 1 prostaglandins which are critical (life long) for many bodily processes.
Arachidonic Acid (AA) is found in meats and animal products. The level of blood sugar is intricately involved in whether or not AA plays a beneficial or harmful role in the body. Series 2 prostaglandins are produced from AA and without Series 2 we would die. Many illnesses are the result in the imbalance of AA and a disruption of Series 2 prostaglandin production.
Linolenic Acid (LA) is found in sunflower, safflower, pumpkin, walnut, soybean and hemp oils. Sunflower and safflower are the richest sources but when seeds, which are genetically modified, are grown, the LA content in the oil is much lower than natural seeds, so GMO (genetically modified organism) foods are essentially dead foods. LA is also very involved in energy production. A deficiency of LA can result in high blood pressure, high Triglycerides, sticky platelets, dry skin, fluid retention (edema), and all tissue inflammations.

Mono-Unsaturated Omega 9 Family:

Oleic Acid (OA) is found in olive, almond, avocado, peanut, pecan, cashew, filbert, and macadamia oils. Butter also contains OA.

Mono-Unsaturated Omega 7 Family:

Butyric Acid (BA) found in butter, is used by beneficial flora in the intestines, as food and to manufacture natural antibiotics that poisons invaders. Butter is also one of the few oils, that when heated, retain its active beneficial constituents.
Palmitic Acid (PA) found in tropical oils such as palm, coconut, and palm kernel and are being studied for their role in supporting thyroid function, arthritis, metabolism booster, and easing the symptoms of autoimmune disorders.
Stearic Acid (SA) is found in shea nut butter, mutton, cocoa butter, pork and beef. Shea butter and cocoa butter have been used for thousands of years to calm inflammatory skin conditions.

If some of those numbers don't look that bad to you, pay attention to the amounts and serving sizes of each of them. When was the last time you ate only one ounce of potato chips, just 10 fries, or a single slice of pizza? So think about fat content before you indulge in a burger and fries for lunch followed by pizza for dinner.

Fat Content in Your Diet: Surprisingly High-Fat Foods

While the high fat content of certain foods is no surprise, you may not realize that many other foods are loaded with hidden fat:

Movie theater popcorn (because of the way it’s processed)
Packaged meals with added sauces, butter, or oil
Highly marbled red meats, including some cuts of beef and lamb — that white marbling is fat
Chicken and other poultry if the skin is eaten
Salad dressings

Perhaps the biggest hidden sources of fats to watch out for are prepackaged snack foods and meals. They often contain dangerous trans fats — frequently listed as partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening in the ingredients — because they give these foods a longer shelf life. Trans fats are particularly unhealthy for your heart and cholesterol levels and should be avoided as much as possible.

While you might know that olive and vegetable oils are high in fat, so are nuts, olives, avocados, and certain fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines. These foods contain the good, unsaturated fats — just monitor how much you eat to control your weight.

Given the high fat content of so many foods, if you're not careful, you could exceed your entire daily fat allowance by lunchtime! Keep an eye on your fat intake, and opt for unsaturated fats in place of saturated and trans fats. Your health, your heart, and your waistline will thank you.