How much fat should we eat? An avo every few days? A handful of nuts a week? everyday? I'm confused. I wasn't really eating much fat at all. I've been trying to eat more fat but feel it's too much. I just can't seem to get it right. I don't like to eat it everyday, but how much should we have? How much do you eat?

Happy Fruity Friday

Lizard Wrote:
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> How much fat should we eat? An avo every few days?
> A handful of nuts a week? everyday? I'm confused.
> I wasn't really eating much fat at all. I've been
> trying to eat more fat but feel it's too much. I
> just can't seem to get it right. I don't like to
> eat it everyday, but how much should we have? How
> much do you eat?
>
> Happy Fruity Friday


The absolute amount (grams) obviously depends on the person, though some have suggested a 30 gram upper limit (270 fat calories) per day. Percentages are debatable. The "10" in 80-10-10 means 10 percent of your caloric intake, or excuse me no more than 10 percent of your caloric intake should be fat. Assume 2000 calories for purposes of example. Fat has roughly 9 calories per gram. So, to hit 10 percent fat on a 2000 calorie diet is 200 calories or 22 grams of fat. On a 3000 calorie per day diet (not advisable under any circumstances for someone hoping to maximize their longevity) 10 percent would be 33 grams of fat. But that means premature aging, not a desirable outcome.

An ounce (28 gram) of nuts (almonds in this case) [www.nal.usda.gov] has about 14 grams of fat in it which is under 10 percent of a 2000 calorie per day diet.

These tools and this example calculation will help keep a fat limit which I agree is important to weight control and overall health. The other thing though is Omega 3s, a type of fat. Your food choices will determine your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids, a traditional raw vegan weakness. Whole raw foods like flax seed, chia seed, hemp seed, and walnuts provide ample alpha linolenic acid (ala) or short chain omega 3 fatty acids. (one ounce per day of one of the above per Joel Fuhrman, Eat to Live). And maybe an omega 3 dha (long chain omega 3 supplement) from algae. But to make sure you have the right balance between omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids (omega 6 are much easier to get and much more prevalent) you have to limit your omega 6 intake, in short no corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil. There are limited sites in the human body to process these EFAs and Omega 3 and Omega 6 compete for these sites inside your body. If there is an imbalance between Omega 6 and 3, 6 will win, 3 will lose. And you won't have the EFA balance that's optimal for your health. I realize that it's oversimplifying it a bit. But just increasing Omega 3s isn't enough if you don't cut back on Omega 6. The optimal ratio between omega 3 to omega 6 (both unsaturated fats) is less than 1:4. Excessive omega 3 intake is possible but rare, Eskimos. Hope that helps.

Paul



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2010 05:22PM by pborst.

One more thing, Prana and a number of folks here recommend fitday.com as a tool to track calories just as a check. I tried to include this in my original email but the silly editing rules on this site blocked me as I was writing. Best to you and yours

Paul

p.s. How much do I eat personally? about 2 ounces per day roughly between a DHA supplement (about a gram), 1 ounce of either chia or flax seed, not both and some nuts (less than an ounce).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2010 05:33PM by pborst.

Lizard, as long as you're eating all raw, just eat what fat you have appetite for, what you fancy. It really is that simple.

The old cliche 'listen to your body' CAN be trusted if you're eating all raw, and IF it is leading you to raw food, whether it contains fat or not.

Please don't try to limit your fat if you really want to eat more. Otherwise you run the risk of turning into one of those I hear so often on raw food forums - they eat no fat because they've been convinced it's the devil, then binge-eat on mountains of pumpkin seeds, feel awful (unsurprisingly) then beat themselves up mentally, ask for 'support groups' to help conquer their 'addiction' to fat, etc etc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2010 05:44PM by debbietook.

I ate 60-80% energyfats for almost 2 years until I realized that I could feel even better with less fat. It's crazy tho, that I felt so good with so much fat every day, so do what you feel for in the beginning and later on (when YOU are ready) move toward 30%-20%-10% energyfats.

Remember, 10 E% fat are the final goal, maybe not what you need "today".

Interesting, thanks everyone. Numbers just don't speak to me at all, my math skills stink so I don't see how my body can count calories! he he. But I do track my nutrients in fitday, I feel best on days when I get about 10% fat.

I think 10-15% of calories from fat is good.

Avo, nuts, and seeds aren't the only items with fat. Greens and fruit have fat as well, good fats.

Lizard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How much fat should we eat? An avo every few days?
> A handful of nuts a week? everyday? I'm confused.
> I wasn't really eating much fat at all. I've been
> trying to eat more fat but feel it's too much. I
> just can't seem to get it right. I don't like to
> eat it everyday, but how much should we have? How
> much do you eat?
>
> Happy Fruity Friday


humans do not need more than 3-5% fat on a dry matter basis in their diet, enough to provide the one essential fatty acid and the fat soluble vitamins (RDA, 1989). RDA (1989): Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th revised edition. Washington, D.C., National Academy of Sciences.

Closest related species (chimps) consume an average of 2.5% fat.

Lizard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How much fat should we eat? An avo every few days?
> A handful of nuts a week? everyday? I'm confused.
> I wasn't really eating much fat at all. I've been
> trying to eat more fat but feel it's too much. I
> just can't seem to get it right. I don't like to
> eat it everyday, but how much should we have? How
> much do you eat?
>
> Happy Fruity Friday

The World Health Organization advised between 15 and 30 percent of total calories with saturated fat less than 10 percent of that total. [www.who.int] The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science suggest a range of 20 to 35 percent. [www.nap.edu] Several other authors have expressed fat limits by mass rather than percentage of calories. Dr. Gabe Mirkin has suggested a 30 gram limit which roughly correlates into a 13 percent upper limit on a 2000 calorie per day diet. Joel Furhman in Eat to Live has suggested an ounce per day limit of high quality fats, e.g. flax seeds, hemp seeds, nuts. That recommendation is for people who need to lose weight. Presumably upper limits for healthy adults are higher. Best.

Paul

Note that these are total limits for fat. The type of fat you consume is as important or more important than the total amount.