How much fat should I eat a day?

How much fat to eat is not a simple issue. You have to take into consideration not only how much but what type to eat as well as whether you're at risk of high cholesterol, heart disease or type 2 diabetes.

One or two tablespoons of a good oil or some nuts, avocado, wheatgerm or mayonnaise a day is enough. The trouble is most of us exceed this intake well and truly.

No specific figure for fat

There are no official recommended intakes for fat, as there are for protein, vitamins and minerals. Instead nutrition authorities usually suggest you aim for around 30 per cent of the total kilojoules (Calories) you consume to be in the form of fat.

At 30 per cent, you're getting a healthy level of intake, one where you can meet your body's requirements for fatty acids (yes, fatty acids are essential) without overloading it with unwanted kilojoules.

This means a fat intake of anywhere from 40 grams to 85 grams a day depending on your activity level, age, gender and stage of life (children need more fat for their body weight than do adults). See some suggested intakes below and in the table.

30 per cent of your kilojoules from fat translates to

65 grams of total fat a day
for an adult moderately-active woman who's not on a diet and is consuming 8400 kJ / 2000 Calories a day

85 grams of total fat a day
for an adult male who's not on a diet (10 500 kJ / 2500 Calories)

40 grams of total fat a day
for an adult female who wants weight loss (5000 kJ / 1200 Calories)

• Remember this is a figure for total fat. You should also think about the type and quality of the fat – put the emphasis on mono- and polyunsaturated fats in preference to saturated and trans fats.
• These numbers are based on your total kilojoule intake, so the more physically active you are, the higher your fat (and total food) intake can be.

How much fat should you eat?

       based on 30% of the kilojoules or Calories being eaten as fat a day

 How much fat is that?

To give you an idea of how much fat to eat, here's a rough guide:

85 grams of fat translates to:

Oil, 1 tbsp for cooking and salads,  20 g +
Margarine or mayonnaise, 2 tsp, 10 g +
Avocado, ½,  20 g +
Milk, low-fat, 1 glass,  6 g +
Yoghurt, low-fat, 200 g tub, 4 g +
Almonds or walnuts, handful, 30 g, 15 g +
From fish, meat or chicken, 10 g +

Total = 85 grams fat

40 grams of fat translates to:

Oil, ½ tbsp for cooking and salads, 10 g +
Low-fat spread or light mayonnaise, 2 tsp , 6 g +
Egg,  6 g +
Milk, skim, 300 mL, 0 g +
Yoghurt, low-fat, 200 g tub, 4 g +
Cottage cheese, 200 g tub, 6 g +
From fish, meat or chicken, 8 g +

Total = 40 grams fat