Question about poly and monounsaturated fats

vantastick
vantastick Posts: 2
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My goal for Saturated fats is 24g per day. My trans fat is 0g. However, Poly and monounsaturated fats goal is showing 0g as well. Poly and Mono are good fats, why would my plan for me not to allow those fats? Poly and Mono have great benefits. I completely understand why not to have Trans fats. I stay away from Trans like to plague. If anyone has some insight let me know?

Cheers.

Replies

  • jdbclesse
    jdbclesse Posts: 1 Member
    edited July 2015
    I have the same thing. My fitness goal shows saturated fat 16g. Poly/monounsaturated fat 0g. I thought that poly/mono fats were better than saturated fats so why is that not reflected on the goal?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    there's no RDI for these things, previously it said N/A this recently morphed into 0 for some reason.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It's supposed to be N/A, because there's no specific goal set. For some reason it shows up on some versions of the app as 0. Don't worry about it.

    Also, you can custom set all the goals.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited July 2015
    there is no RDA for those...the saturated fat is more of a ceiling than an actual target...though it is debatable whether that is necessary. In my 3 year n=1 experiment, it is...but that's just me.
  • AnnaBellQ14
    AnnaBellQ14 Posts: 109 Member
    I think it's because there is not set goal for it. Where ever they fall should be fine.
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    24 grams of sat fats a day? That seems quite arbitrary.Trans fat are not necessarily all bad. Why would you waste your time counting poly, mono, or sat. fats? You need a better systematic approach.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
    w734q672 wrote: »
    24 grams of sat fats a day? That seems quite arbitrary.

    It's something like 10% (mine work out to 11%). I've seen recommendations from health organizations that are in that range and also as low as 5-7%. So not arbitrary, but debatable, I suppose. I watch mine to make sure they aren't crazy, but don't fret about them (mine normally are around the limit or below). I'd worry more about them if I had any cholesterol or related health issues AND if it were affected by diet like it is for some people (my dad sees a difference when he cuts sat fat).
    Trans fat are not necessarily all bad.

    The artificial ones, which is what they mean, are generally accepted as such.
    Why would you waste your time counting poly, mono, or sat. fats? You need a better systematic approach.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/
    It’s time to end the low-fat myth. That’s because the percentage of calories from fat that you eat, whether high or low, isn’t really linked with disease. What really matters is the type of fat you eat.

    Choose foods with healthy fats, limit foods high in saturated fat, and avoid foods with trans fat.

    “Good” fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish.

    “Bad” fats—saturated and, especially, trans fats—increase disease risk. Foods high in bad fats include red meat, butter, cheese, and ice cream, as well as processed foods made with trans fat from partially hydrogenated oil.

    The key to a healthy diet is to choose foods that have more good fats than bad fats—vegetable oils instead of butter, salmon instead of steak—and that don’t contain any trans fat.

    Like I said, I think this can be debated, but it's hardly unsupported advice.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Although the individual goals of Poly Fat and Mono Fat are undefined and should be labeled as not applicable (N/A), the sum of the goals of Poly Fat and Mono Fat is defined and equals the goal of Total Fat minus the goal of Saturated Fat, given the goal of Trans Fat is zero.

    Goal (Poly + Mono + Trans + Saturated) = Goal (Total Fat)
    ...rearranging...
    Goal (Poly + Mono) = Goal (Total Fat - Saturated - Trans)
    ...since Goal (Trans) = 0
    Goal (Poly + Mono) = Goal (Total Fat - Saturated)

    Just plug your daily goals for Total Fat and Saturated into the above equation to find your daily goal of Poly Fat plus Mono Fat.

    Please see this post for additional information on the reporting of the issue with MFP incorrectly changing the goals of Poly Fat and Mono Fat from N/A to zero (0). This issue seems to be fixed on the iOS app, but it still is an issue on the Web version and the Android app as of today.
    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10163604/poly-monounsaturated-fats#latest
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    edited July 2015
    It's something like 10% (mine work out to 11%). I've seen recommendations from health organizations that are in that range and also as low as 5-7%. So not arbitrary, but debatable, I suppose. I watch mine to make sure they aren't crazy, but don't fret about them (mine normally are around the limit or below). I'd worry more about them if I had any cholesterol or related health issues AND if it were affected by diet like it is for some people (my dad sees a difference when he cuts sat fat).
    Everybody's body is different, so it's not unbelievable that nutrition needs will differ from person to person.
    The artificial ones, which is what they mean, are generally accepted as such.
    Who is "They"? I'm guessing the medical community? lol Of course trans fats are generally frowned upon, but there are naturally occurring trans fats that are not necessarily harmful to you. Take for example the trans fats in milk.
    It’s time to end the low-fat myth. That’s because the percentage of calories from fat that you eat, whether high or low, isn’t really linked with disease. What really matters is the type of fat you eat.
    Choose foods with healthy fats, limit foods high in saturated fat, and avoid foods with trans fat.
    “Good” fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish.
    “Bad” fats—saturated and, especially, trans fats—increase disease risk. Foods high in bad fats include red meat, butter, cheese, and ice cream, as well as processed foods made with trans fat from partially hydrogenated oil.
    The key to a healthy diet is to choose foods that have more good fats than bad fats—vegetable oils instead of butter, salmon instead of steak—and that don’t contain any trans fat.
    Okay, nutrition 101. Most people should know this *kitten*, at least I hope.
    What you're suggesting is counting your fats, which is an absolute pain in the *kitten*. Again, if you need to do it, then do it. For the majority of people, it's impractical to guesstimate the fats you digest on a daily basis, especially when someone doesn't have a health condition that is dependent on fat intake.

    Anyways this is America, do whatever you want. Get results and maximize them. Just don't waste your time, because you'll never get it back.

    [Edited by MFP Mods]
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    w734q672 wrote: »
    The artificial ones, which is what they mean, are generally accepted as such.
    Who is "They"? I'm guessing the medical community? lol Of course trans fats are generally frowned upon, but there are naturally occurring trans fats that are not necessarily harmful to you. Take for example the trans fats in milk.

    Rolling eyes. What part of artificial transfats is confusing here?
    What you're suggesting is counting your fats, which is an absolute pain in the *kitten*.

    I don't recall suggesting that. I suggested that sat fat is one of the things it's easy to watch on MFP if one wants to, and pointed out that the fat recommendations are not arbitrary, although of course you can give them the importance you think they deserve.

    That I switch up sugar and fiber and sat fat as the two extra things I watch (currently, might add something else in the future) costs me 0 extra time (and like I said above, I don't fret about any specific numbers), so I don't find it hard to imagine someone else might want to do this.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Like most everyone said, the sat fat number is one to stay under and the poly/mono ones aren't really limited. Trans fats have a goal of 0 because we are supposed to take in as close to none as possible.

    The numbers are really confusing when you begin learning them! Everyone has to learn. Nobody was born with this knowledge. DRIs, RDAs, AIs...it's a lot to learn! Stick with it and you'll get it all.

    Cheers. :)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    w734q672 wrote: »
    The artificial ones, which is what they mean, are generally accepted as such.
    Who is "They"? I'm guessing the medical community? lol Of course trans fats are generally frowned upon, but there are naturally occurring trans fats that are not necessarily harmful to you. Take for example the trans fats in milk.

    Rolling eyes. What part of artificial transfats is confusing here?

    1238512492_the-happening-wahlberg.gif

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