Polyunsaturated fat. Good or bad

shawn3780

If polyunsaturated fat is supposed to be good, why is my daily goal for it “-“?

mtaratoot

It's just how MFP is programmed. It's the same for fiber and protein. If I am "under" on my fiber, the number is green when it should be red because the goal is for a MINIMUM of fiber. Too much fiber can be problematic as well, but most people don't get enough.

It's not a bad idea to keep total fat consumption in a healthy range. You definitely need fat in your diet. When that fat is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, that's great. Saturated fat? Not so much. Trans fat? Uh-uh.

You can go into your diary settings and change what nutrients you track. For fat, I currently only track saturated fat. You'll have to engage your common sense to interpret those numbers at the bottom of your diary, and you can do that!

AnnPT77

Good advice from mtaratoot. I'd add this: Polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fats ARE good for us, in balance with other fats (except artificial trans fats!).

But the mainstream nutritional bodies here in the US (where MFP is based) don't have a specific recommended goal amount of poly- or monounsaturated fats.

MFP sets nutritional goals based on what those mainstream sources recommend - they don't just make stuff up.

Since there's no "official" recommendation, MFP leaves it null. If we want to do so, we can set our own goal. If you'd like to increase the amount of poly- or monounsaturated fats you consume, maybe look at your recent history of weekly-average amounts logged, and set yourself a goal just a small bit higher than that history, then chip away at getting there.

I just leave my mono/poly fat goals set at null, but make it a point to get some everyday (by wiring in daily routine eating habits that get me there, like regularly putting walnuts and hemp/flax seeds in my oatmeal). I try to stay below the MFP default saturated fat goal most of the time without being obsessive about it, and fill in the rest of my fat minimum with mono/poly fats.

But that's just me: You can figure out how you'd like to handle it, how much sat fat makes sense for you, etc. Some eating styles involve a lot of fat, even some a lot of saturated fat. Not everyone agrees that the mainstream recommendations (MFP defaults) are the best for them.

For myself, I set a daily protein minimum, a fats minimum, a veggie/fruit servings minimum and stretch goal, and a calorie limit. I hit most of those most of the time, again avoiding being obsessive about exactitude. Most people here aren't that structured about it. It may sound like a bit much to juggle, but my approach has been to remodel my eating by changing routine habits, so over time my nutrition goals are mostly met without much conscious day to day attention.