Here’s Exactly How Much Fat You Should Be Eating a Day

“Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to brain and heart health and have also shown benefit in multiple trials to mental health as well, mainly depression and anxiety,” she says.

What about saturated fats? Michael Reavis Jr., M.S., R.D.., the lead sports dietitian at Fit With Food, says that saturated fats aren’t inherently bad, but he points to scientific research showing that too much of it is linked to increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, as a result of raising LDL cholesterol. That’s why you don’t want to go ham on saturated fats (pun very much intended).

Registered dietitian Andy De Santis, R.D. is similarly wary of categorizing saturated fat as “bad” or “unhealthy” because it’s found in foods that are great sources of nutrients, like red meat and eggs. If these foods are part of how you get your protein, you’ll be consuming some saturated fat. As long as you vary your protein sources, he says, you won’t need to focus on trying to meet any saturated fat goals; you’ll be consuming enough already.

“Saturated fats do benefit the body, such as by playing a role in hormone formation,” he says. “But the reality is that it’s not a type of fat that is typically underconsumed [by Americans], unlike unsaturated fats.”

How Much Fat Should You Eat Per Day?

In total, the amount of fat you should be eating each day should be between 25% and 35% of your daily calories, according to both the American Heart Association and the National Institute of Health. Their recommendations also say that fats and trans fats should be limited to less than 7% and 1% of daily calories, respectively. You should limit your saturated fat consumption to less than 10% of overall daily calories.

Reavis says you can modify the AHA and NIH’s recommendations, depending on how active you are. If you’re mostly sedentary, he says to aim for the lower end. If you live an active lifestyle or work out a lot, go for the higher end. Fat intake is a reflection of calorie intake, De Santis adds In other words, if your calorie intake goes up, so does your fat intake.

Let’s say you generally eat 2,000 calories a day. With the above guidelines in mind, this means that you should aim for between 40 and 70 grams of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats a day. (Remember, we’re limiting saturated fats to less than 10% of total calories consumed and taking out trans fats completely, which is why they’re not part of the equation.)

What does this look like? One small serving of fish has roughly five grams of unsaturated fats, half an avocado has 20 grams of primarily unsaturated fats, an egg has roughly 3.5 grams of unsaturated fat and 1.5 grams of saturated fat, and a serving of macadamia nuts has 70 grams of primarily unsaturated fats.

While these guidelines are helpful for most people in terms of figuring out how much fat per day to consume, Kirkpatrick says that it’s important to know that genetics can play a role in how the body processes and stores fat. There is a specific gene, the APOA2 gene, that can influence how much weight is gained from a diet high in saturated fat. People with certain genetic variants of this gene should be especially careful to minimize saturated fat because they can gain weight easier from a diet that’s high in it.

It boils down to this: Aim for fat intake to be between 25% and 35% of your overall calories consumed and prioritize foods high in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, like fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds, and avocado. Saturated fats are okay in moderation—especially if you’re getting them from foods you rely on for protein, like meat and eggs—but keep it to under 10% of your overall calories consumed.

Keep those basics in mind and fat can be a heavy hitter in your diet, helping to benefit your entire body. That’s something that won’t change, regardless of which diet makes headlines next.