Nutrition Myths - Fat Makes You Fat

Many people believe that eating foods high in fat will tend to make you fat. While it is true that one gram of fat has more calories than one gram of either protein or carbohydrates (9 kcal/gram for fat versus 4 kcal/gram for protein or carbs), on a per calorie basis fat is no more fattening than either protein or carbs. For example, 100 calories of fat is no more fattening than 100 calories of protein. The reason why foods high in fat tend to lead to higher body fat is because they are so calorie-dense. What is more important though is the type of fat that is consumed. The best type of fat is monounsaturated fat (such as what is found in olives and nuts), followed by polyunsaturated (as found in fish). The types of fat that should be limited or avoided are saturated fat and trans fat. The amount of total fat in your diet should be in the range of 10-30% of calories consumed.