How Many Grams of Fat Should You Eat Every Day?

How much fat is enough?

Different fats

Fats are an essential fuel for both men and women on a daily basis. Each gram of fat provides about nine calories of fuel.

Total fat (fat from plant and other sources) should make up between 20% and 35% of your daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, your fat gram consumption should be between 44 and 79 grams per day.

Saturated fat (sources like meats, oils, eggs) should make up about 10% of your daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this should be no more than 22 grams per day.

Note: Recommendations refer to saturated and mono and polyunsaturated fats (not trans fats).

If you are unhealthy

Fat recommendations assume that you are healthy, have normal weight and are active. For those who have conditions like high cholesterol, or are obese or inactive, the recommendations for fat consumption are considerably lower. The American Heart Association recommends that unhealthy patients limit their consumption of fat to less than 7% of daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that's 15 grams of total fat per day.

Note: Pediatricians recommend that children under two years not be on a fat-restricted diet.

Bottom Line

Fat is one of three nutrients (aside from protein and carbohydrates) that are primary suppliers of calories to the body. Low fat diets generally provide a guide for getting more healthy fats like the kinds found in plants, legumes (beans, lentils, peas) and fish. Reading labels is the first way to control fat intake. It's best to shoot for the lower range of fat grams: total fat intake of 44 grams per day and saturated fat intake of 22 grams per day.