Fat Intake Calculator
How much dietary fat should you eat a day? This calculator estimates your daily calorie allowance from your age, build, and activity level, then shows your total fat allowance (20-35% of calories) alongside the maximum recommended saturated fat levels — under 10% of calories, and under 7% to help reduce the risk of heart disease — for maintaining, losing, or gaining weight.
+ Settings
- Exercise: 15-30 minutes of elevated heart rate activity.
- Intense exercise: 45-120 minutes of elevated heart rate activity.
- Very intense exercise: 2+ hours of elevated heart rate activity.
* Note that the percentages provided reflect percentages of total daily caloric intake.
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Different types of fat
Fat is one of the three energy-providing macronutrients, and it is essential to proper body function — the trouble is only ever excess, which drives weight gain and the poor health outcomes that travel with it. Dietary fats come in several types whose effects differ sharply: saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and the omega-3 fatty acids. (For the body-fat side of the picture, see the Body Fat Calculator.)
Unhealthy dietary fat
Saturated fat comes mostly from animal sources — red meat, poultry, dairy — with some in nuts, oils, and seeds. Its effects are debated at the margins, but the mainstream guidance from bodies such as the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association is to keep it low: it raises "bad" LDL cholesterol and with it the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Trans fat is worse. Small amounts occur naturally, but most trans fat is manufactured by partial hydrogenation and concentrated in highly processed and fast foods. It is not essential, has no known benefit, raises LDL while lowering "good" HDL cholesterol, and is linked to coronary artery disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Watch the label loophole: a serving with under 0.5 g of trans fat may legally read "0 grams" — the reliable tell is "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients.
Healthier dietary fat
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — the unsaturated classes, polyunsaturated being common in plant foods and oils — have been shown in studies to reduce LDL cholesterol and potentially raise HDL when eaten in modest amounts. Omega-3 fatty acids, a polyunsaturated family concentrated in oily fish, are additionally linked with a lower risk of coronary artery disease.
Daily fat intake
There is no single golden rule, but the shape of the guidance is consistent: some fat — especially unsaturated fat — is beneficial and necessary, children in particular need it (whole milk rather than skimmed is the standard recommendation after breastfeeding), and any fat in excess turns harmful. The working guidelines:
- Consume less than 10% of daily calories as saturated fat; under 7% has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats where possible.
- Minimize trans fat consumption.
- Consume less than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol each day.
Fat intake by age
| Age | Suggested Fat Intake Limit |
|---|---|
| 2 - 3 | 30% to 40% of Total Calories |
| 4 - 18 | 25% to 35% of Total Calories |
| 19+ | 20% to 35% of Total Calories |