When it comes to your heart health, there are a variety of factors to pay attention to. One such aspect is the amount of fat in your diet.
Fat is a macronutrient that helps in storing energy, producing hormones, and absorbing nutrients. While healthy fats from sources like avocados and nuts are beneficial, excessive intake of saturated and trans fats, often found in processed and fried foods, can contribute to health issues such as heart disease.
Though trans fat can and should be avoided completely, it is almost impossible to eliminate saturated fat from your diet. However, you can limit the intake by making healthy food choices. Here’s a guide to how much saturated fat you can consume in a day.
Also Read: Healthy Fats For Heart Health: Foods You Can Add To Your Diet
How Much Saturated Fat Can You Eat In A Day?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), it is safe to include 5–6% of calories from saturated fat in your daily diet.
This means if you need 2,000 calories per day, you should limit your saturated fat intake to 120 calories only.
This equals about 13 grams of saturated fat per day, as per the body.
Why Cut Down On Saturated Fat Intake?
For decades, health experts have emphasised the need to limit saturated fat intake, linking it to increased heart disease risk.
After following tens of thousands of healthy people for decades, a 2016 study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that those who ate more saturated fat had a higher risk of heart disease. This was true for all the major types of saturated fat, such as lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid.
Furthermore, researchers observed that replacing saturated fat with healthier options like polyunsaturated fats, whole grains, or plant proteins seemed to lower the risk of heart disease.
A year later, another review published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism found that saturated fats raise LDL cholesterol levels, a major risk factor for heart disease. Researchers concluded that swapping out saturated fat-rich foods for those rich in good fats, particularly polyunsaturated fats, seems to be the best way to protect your heart.
Besides emphasising limiting saturated fat intake, research has also highlighted the importance of improving overall diet choices.
As per a review published in the Nutrition Bulletin, replacing saturated fat with healthy fats like polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats might lower heart disease risk, but replacing it with carbs might not help or even hurt.
The AHA recommends choosing nutrient-dense foods, such as whole grains, lean and plant-based protein, and a variety of fruits and vegetables, while limiting salt, sugar, animal fat, processed foods, and alcohol.
Also Read: Improve Heart Health With Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Foods To Eat And When To Switch To Supplements
Common Sources Of Saturated Fat
Some of the common sources of saturated fat include:
- Butter, ghee, and cheese
- Coconut oil and palm oil
- Cakes and pastries, such as pies, quiches, sausage rolls and croissants
- Biscuits
- Fatty cuts of meat
- Sausages and bacon
- Cured meats like salami and pancetta
- Ice cream
- Coconut milk and coconut cream
- Milkshakes
- Chocolates
Conclusion
The next time you add ghee to your parathas or bite into your cakes, ensure that you're consuming them in moderation. Since they contain high amounts of saturated fat, it is important to either limit your intake or replace them with healthier food choices. Moreover, focus on your overall diet quality, which should ideally include loads of veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and more.