Nutrition & Heart Health

Fat Intake
Calculator

Calculate your daily fat needs and breakdown by fat type. Includes saturated fat limits, omega-3/6/9 targets, keto mode, and healthy fat food sources.

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Daily Fat

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Sat Fat Limit

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Omega-3

Your Details

Age

yrs

Height

Weight

Activity Level

Health Goal

Fat % of Calories 30%

15% (Very Low)30% (Standard)50%+70%+ (Keto)

🥑 Ketogenic Mode

Auto-sets fat to 70%, carbs to 5%

🥑

Daily Fat Target

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grams / day

Enter details to calculate

Sat Fat Limit

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Fat Kcal

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Sat Fat Max

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MUFA Target

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PUFA Target

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Omega-3 Daily

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🐟 Omega-3, 6 & 9 Guide

🐟

Omega-3 (ALA / EPA / DHA)

1.6g ALA + 500mg EPA/DHA daily

Anti-inflammatory. Supports heart, brain, joints. EPA/DHA from marine sources are most bioactive. ALA (plant) converts poorly to EPA/DHA (~5–10%).

Best sources: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, fish oil

🌻

Omega-6 (LA / AA)

5–10% of calories (~14–28g/day)

Pro-inflammatory in excess. Essential but most Western diets already have too much (omega-6:3 ratio of 15:1 vs ideal 4:1). Moderate intake is fine.

Best sources: Sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, pumpkin seeds

🫒

Omega-9 (Oleic Acid)

Non-essential (body produces it)

Monounsaturated fat associated with Mediterranean diet benefits. Reduces LDL cholesterol. Highly heart-protective when replacing saturated fats.

Best sources: Olive oil, avocado, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, canola oil

🥘 Best Healthy Fat Food Sources

🫒

Olive Oil

14g fat

per tbsp (73% MUFA)

🥑

Avocado

21g fat

per half (67% MUFA)

🌰

Almonds

14g fat

per 23 nuts (60% MUFA)

🥜

Peanut Butter

16g fat

per 2 tbsp (48% MUFA)

🌿

Canola Oil

14g fat

per tbsp (61% MUFA)

🌰

Hazelnuts

17g fat

per oz (79% MUFA)

🥑

Avocado Oil

14g fat

per tbsp (71% MUFA)

🥜

Cashews

12g fat

per oz (58% MUFA)

🐟

Salmon

2.2g EPA+DHA

per 100g (2 svgs/wk)

🐟

Mackerel

2.6g EPA+DHA

per 100g

🌱

Flaxseeds

6.4g ALA

per 2 tbsp

🌱

Chia Seeds

4.9g ALA

per oz (28g)

🌰

Walnuts

2.6g ALA

per oz

🐟

Sardines

1.0g EPA+DHA

per 2 sardines

🌿

Hemp Seeds

2.5g ALA

per 3 tbsp

🌊

Fish Oil Supplement

~1g EPA+DHA

per capsule

🥩

Butter

7g sat fat

per tbsp

🥛

Whole Milk

4.5g sat fat

per 240ml

🧀

Cheddar Cheese

5.7g sat fat

per 30g slice

🥩

Beef (80/20)

7.9g sat fat

per 100g

🥥

Coconut Oil

12g sat fat

per tbsp

🥓

Bacon

3.8g sat fat

per 2 strips

🍗

Chicken Skin

3g sat fat

per 30g serving

🍦

Ice Cream

4.5g sat fat

per ½ cup

🍟

Fast Food Fries

~2–3g trans fat

per medium serving

🥐

Commercial Croissants

~1–2g trans fat

per piece

🍩

Commercial Donuts

~2–4g trans fat

per donut

🍪

Packaged Cookies

~1–2g trans fat

per serving

🥧

Stick Margarine

~2g trans fat

per tbsp

🍿

Microwave Popcorn

~0.5–1g trans fat

per bag (varies)

🫕

Vegetable Shortening

~2–3g trans fat

per tbsp

⚠️

Look for "PHO"

Partially Hydrogenated Oils

= Trans fat — avoid!

Understanding Dietary Fat

Dietary fat is essential for hormone production, fat-soluble vitamin absorption (A, D, E, K), cell membrane structure, and brain function. Despite decades of low-fat messaging, the quality of fat matters far more than total quantity. Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat reduces cardiovascular risk — but ultra-low fat diets can disrupt hormone function and reduce nutrient absorption.

Fat Intake Calculation

Daily Fat (g) = (Total Calories × Fat%) ÷ 9 kcal/g Standard (WHO 20–35%): 44–78g on 2,000 kcal Heart-Healthy (25%): ~56g on 2,000 kcal Ketogenic (65–75%): 144–167g on 2,000 kcal Saturated Fat Max: AHA: <6% of calories (~13g on 2,000 kcal) WHO: <10% of calories (~22g on 2,000 kcal) Trans Fat: <1% of calories (~2g max) — WHO goal = 0

The 4 Types of Dietary Fat

🫒

Monounsaturated (MUFA)

Heart-protective. Raises HDL, lowers LDL. Primary fat in Mediterranean diet. Olive oil, avocados, almonds, peanuts.

🐟

Polyunsaturated (PUFA)

Essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Reduces inflammation (omega-3). Fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, sunflower oil.

🥩

Saturated Fat

Found in animal products and tropical oils. Raises LDL cholesterol. Limit to <10% of calories. Not completely avoided.

🚫

Trans Fat

Artificially hydrogenated fats. Raises LDL, lowers HDL. Zero safe intake. Found in PHO (partially hydrogenated oils).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is eating fat bad for weight loss?

No — dietary fat does not inherently cause weight gain. Body fat accumulation is driven by caloric surplus, not fat intake specifically. Fat is the most calorically dense macronutrient (9 kcal/g vs 4 kcal/g for protein and carbs), so it's easy to overconsume calories. However, research consistently shows that high-fat diets (including keto) can be as effective for fat loss as low-fat diets when total calories are equal. Fat also increases satiety, which can help reduce overall intake.

Is saturated fat really bad for your heart?

The relationship is more nuanced than previously thought. Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol on average, but some saturated fats (like stearic acid in dark chocolate) are neutral. The replacement matters: replacing saturated fat with refined carbs shows no benefit; replacing with unsaturated fat reduces cardiovascular risk. Current evidence supports limiting (not eliminating) saturated fat to <10% of calories, especially for those with elevated LDL or cardiovascular disease risk.

What is the best oil to cook with?

For high-heat cooking: avocado oil (smoke point 270°C), refined coconut oil, or ghee are stable choices. For medium heat: extra virgin olive oil is excellent and, despite its relatively low smoke point of 190°C, produces less harmful compounds than refined oils when heated moderately. For dressings and no-heat use: flaxseed oil, walnut oil, or unrefined EVOO. Avoid cooking with polyunsaturated-rich oils like sunflower or corn at high heat — they oxidize and form harmful compounds.

What is the ideal omega-6 to omega-3 ratio?

Evolutionary evidence suggests our ancestors consumed omega-6:omega-3 in a ratio of about 1:1 to 4:1. Modern Western diets often reach 15:1 to 20:1 due to heavy use of vegetable oils (rich in omega-6 linoleic acid). This imbalance promotes chronic inflammation. To improve your ratio: increase fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts (omega-3 sources); reduce processed foods and cooking oils high in omega-6 (soybean, corn, sunflower); and consider fish oil supplementation.

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