Updated nutritional guidelines recommend consuming 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories from fats. But the type of fat you eat can have a big impact on your health.
Fats are essential for proper cell function and different systems of the body. Some fats are manufactured by the body, but those that are not must be consumed in the diet. Not all fats are the same, and knowing which are good for you and which could damage your health can guide your food choices.
The updated recommendations from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics advise people to increase their consumption of a particular type of fat — polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) called omega-3 PUFAs — and to limit the amount of trans fat and saturated fats they eat.