Recommended daily fat intake: fats or lipids are essential for our body. But its daily consumption should be moderate, and always opt for a certain type of lipid.
Despite what many people may think, the truth is that fat becomes an essential nutrient essential for the proper functioning of our body.
Not surprisingly, they play – along with carbohydrates and proteins – a certainly essential role in our diet, since they provide calories to the body, which are eventually converted into energy.
Of course, not only is it not valid with any type of fat (that is, with any food that provides fat to our body), but it is essential to moderate the consumption of fat.
Recommended daily fat intake
Fats should represent between approximately 30 and 35% of the recommended daily calories.
This means that, for a man with a normal constitution who is not following a weight loss diet and therefore does not follow a hypocaloric regimen, taking into account that of the 2,500 recommended calories per day, he could take around 750 calories from fat. Whereas, for a woman on a 2,000 calorie diet, the number of calories from fat would be 600.
But as we indicated earlier, not just any type of fat is valid, since on the one hand we can find healthy fats (such as unsaturated fats ), and on the other the most dangerous or harmful to our body, such as the saturated fats and referred to as trans fats (which should not be never consumed).
But what are fats or lipids?
Fats (also known as lipids) are nutrients that we find in the food and food products that we eat, and that our bodies use to build cell membranes, hormones, and nervous tissue.
Likewise, it is essential to bear in mind that our body also uses fat as fuel or energy.
Therefore, we must bear in mind that fats are essential for the proper functioning of our body, but as long as these fats or lipids are healthy and their consumption is moderate.
How many calories does 1 gram of fat provide?
1 gram of fat provides approximately 9 calories, slightly more than 1 gram of protein (4 calories) and 1 gram of carbohydrates (3.7 calories).
What fats are healthier?
Although it is true that it can be a “joy” to know that we must consume fat every day, it is necessary to bear in mind that it is not healthy to choose any type of fat.
That is, it is not advisable to eat one or two sweets every day due to the fact that our body must consume fat to function properly, because not just any type of fat is worth it.
This means that the consumption of both healthy and unsaturated fats, as well as the consumption of saturated fats should always be moderate, and in moderation.
On the one hand, unsaturated fats are the healthiest because they help us maintain good cardiovascular health (we find them especially in olive oil, vegetables and fish …).
But, on the other hand, we should not eliminate certain saturated fats from our diet that we find in such an essential food in our diet as meat. Although we must moderate the consumption of meats and other foods rich in saturated fats, since a habitual consumption will lead to an increase in the levels of fats in the blood (cholesterol and triglycerides).
