Saturated fats vs poly\monounsaturated fats

mmh87
mmh87 Posts: 2 Member
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 13 g saturated fat per day, and to eat poly or monounsaturated fats instead. Why does my nutrient breakdown recommend 15 g saturated fat per day and no poly/monounsaturated?

Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    The poly/mono thing is a bug. It's supposed to say N/A, because there's no set limit.
  • mmh87
    mmh87 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks @lemurcat12 !
  • mimmom1000
    mimmom1000 Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks for this answer. I'm always over zero on these and it bugs me!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,616 Member
    mimmom1000 wrote: »
    Thanks for this answer. I'm always over zero on these and it bugs me!

    You want to be over zero on those. You should be able to go into your goals and set your own non-zero goal, if that bugs you.

    MFP doesn't have a specific goal, because their goals are usually based on mainstream nutritional science consensus, but there isn't a specific number that's been set as a consensus level - it's more just "eat more mono/poly fats, limit sat fats". You can set them to any number you like: As long as you're close to your calorie goal, you can anticipate weight loss. Within that, you pretty much can eat arbitrarily much mono/poly fat, as long as that doesn't make you routinely lowball some other important nutrient (such as protein).

    In general, some of the MFP goals are better thought of as minimums, rather than maximums. Think about it: As an example, you have a vitamin C goal (though it may not show on your main diary page, you can see it in the app under Nutrition). If you get more than 100% of your vitamin C need, is that a bad thing? Of course not. You have a fiber goal. Do you need to stop eating veggies each day once you hit that number? Of course not.

    Among the main macro goals, think of protein and fats as minimums. If you go over those sometimes (even often), no big deal. If you're routinely lots under on one or both, try to get more. Ditto for fiber. Just try to get a good chunk of the fats you eat from mono/poly sources, you'll be fine on fats.

    If you're near your calorie goal; at/above your protein, fat, and fiber goals; and under sat fats . . . you're doing pretty well nutritionally, from a macronutrient standpoint.

    Only your calorie intake matters directly for weight management. Sub-par macros can have an indirect effect through fatigue (burn less) or appetite/cravings (can't stick to calorie goal), but the direct fat gain/loss factor is calories, period. Nutrition is important for health, body composition, energy level, and that sort of thing.
  • supermang49
    supermang49 Posts: 24 Member
    Polly and mono unsaturated fats are good fats
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,263 Member
    Polly and mono unsaturated fats are good fats
    All the fats found in whole foods are good fats including saturated fat. It's when we remove and refine these oils from their natural state that we need to be mindful of.