Fats

Fat is made up of mainly fatty acids, glycerol and some other compounds. You do not need to worry about the existence of Glycerol in fat because it is natural building block of fat. The fatty acids can be divided into three main categories:

• Saturated fatty acids
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids
• Monounsaturated fatty acids

All three types of fatty acids exist in fat-containing food. However, the proportion of each fatty acids can be different.

Fat is used by our body as energy. About 33-35% of our daily calories intake is in the form of fats. It provides more than twice as much energy as either carbohydrate or protein. Our body needs a small amount of fat for fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E.

Ideal Amounts of Different Fats in the Diet

Type of Fat	Amount (%)
Monounsaturated fatty acids	36% (minimum)
Saturated fatty acids	30% (minimum)
Polyunsaturated fatty acids	18% (minimum)
Glycerols	9% (average)
Trans Fats	6% (maximum)

How much fat should you eat?

	Fat (gram)	Saturates	Polyunsaturates	Monounsaturates	Trans fats
Women	71g	21.5g (max)	13g (min)	26g (min)	4.3 (max)
Men	93.5g	28.5g (max)	17g (min)	34g (min)	5.6 (max)

For a good health, you should replace more of the saturated and trans fats in the diets with monounsaturated fats. You can eat more plant-based foods and less animal-based and commercial product foods.