Why Is Fat Important?
Dietary fats are essential to give your body energy and to support cell growth. Our body uses the fat we eat, and fats we make from other nutrients in our bodies, to provide the energy for most of our life-functions. They also help protect your organs and help keep your body warm.
Fat helps the body absorb vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin D and vitamin E. These vitamins are fat-soluble, which means they can only be absorbed with the help of fats. Fats are part of myelin- a fatty material which wraps around our nerve cells so that they can send electrical messages. Our brains contain large amounts of essential fats. Fats also help to form steroid hormones which regulate many bodily processes.
What Fats Should You Eat?
Most fats and oils contain both saturated and unsaturated fats in different proportions. Therefore, as part of a healthy diet, it is important to choose foods that provide a source of good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) whilst minimising both saturated fats and trans fats.
How Much Fat Should You Eat?
Your diet should consist of around 25-35% Fat. We typically need in the region of 0.5-1.5 grams of fat per kilogram body weight per day. As such, a 75 kg individual would need between 37.5 and 112.5 grams of fat per day.
The government recommends that men should not eat more than 30g of saturated fat a day, women should not eat more than 20g of saturated fat a day and children should have less.