Recently, a good friend of mine rationalized to me that since they were eating ‘healthy’ fats, that they could eat more of it than if it was bad fat.  Is this true?  Can I eat more fat if it is a healthy type of fat? - Jane, Seattle, OR

Brett Blumenthal

When eating fats, a lot of people will rationalize that they are eating a ‘healthy fat.’  What they don’t always understand, however, is that it is still a fat.  Whether it be a Saturated Fat or a Polyunsaturated fat, it is still a fat.  Yes…there are definitely healthier fats than others, and when consuming a fat, you want it to be a healthier fat, but when it comes to your waisteline and your fat consumption, one gram of good fat and one gram of bad fat both have the same number of fat calories.

What you want to do is replace all of your fat intake with the healthier types of fats, not add in healthier fat.  What does this mean?  If you are aiming to eat 20% to 30% of calories from fat, then aim at making all 20% - 30% polyunsaturated fat, mono-unsaturated fat and/or Omega-3 or Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids.   In the meantime, start eliminating as much of, if not all of Saturated Fat and Trans Fat in your diet.

Relevant Topics:

• Healthy Diet
• Fat Types
• Calculate your Nutrition Requirements