Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Fats

russandlisa21
russandlisa21 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss

Fitness Pal says I should have a goal of 0 polyunsaturated fats and 0 monounsaturated fat, but the internet shows that those type of fats are healthy for us. Can anyone explain why we shouldn't be eating those fats? Thank you!

Replies

  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,475 Member

    It’s not whether or not you should eat those kinds of fats, it’s that there is no USDA RDA (recommended daily allowance) for them. MFP sets the limits based on US federal guidelines—no guideline, no limit.

  • russandlisa21
    russandlisa21 Posts: 2 Member

    Thank you for the explanation!

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 38,154 Community Helper

    Note that you can reset those goals for yourself if you do want to set a specific personal target.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,792 Member
    edited October 8

    The USDA avoids committing to specific guidelines for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats because the science is too nuanced, the messaging too complex, and making policy is difficult considering there's mono and poly fats in nuts and pastry. Both mono ands poly fats also contain the omega's and too much of one and not enough of another is problematic and can actually be detrimental to our metabolism. They basically have no clue what to do or say, so they just leave that blank. Nutrition policy is often led by consensus, not by mechanistic certainty, and when it comes to our health, that can be a fragile foundation. Consensus is a political tool, not a scientific endpoint.

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