Note: please consult with a doctor or physician before starting a new eating plan

Fat is an essential nutrient and important component of our daily diet. It helps provide energy and contributes to healthy skin and proper growth. Furthermore, fat provides flavor to our foods.

Unfortunately, it’s also a calorie-dense nutrient. Thus, if you’re eating too much of it and not exercising enough—something that can happen as the days grow shorter and the temps start to cool—you’ll likely experience unwanted weight gain. It has been estimated that Americans are consuming around 40 percent of their calories from fat, whereas most health professionals along with the American Heart Association recommend no more than 30 percent.
So read on for some easy steps to losing fat from your everyday diet and getting on the path to good health.

Cap Your Daily Fat Needs
The average active female requires 15 calories per pound of body mass for weight maintenance. To keep your fat intake capped at the recommended 30 percent, divide your calorie needs by 30—this will give you your recommended fat intake in grams per day.

For example, a 150-pound female requires 2,250 calories each day so she should consume no more than 75 grams of fat each day. If you are consuming five smaller meals each day, the fat content at each meal should be capped at 15 grams.

How to figure this fat in your food? Look on food labels for items containing no more than 3 grams of fat per 100 calories. Keeping a daily food journal will help increase your awareness of how much you’re actually eating at each meal.

Understand Fat in Food
To help you be more conscious of the fat in foods you are eating and stay within the recommended daily intake, consider the following when you’re choosing foods:

• A medium avocado contains 30 grams of monosaturated fat.
• The skin on poultry contains 50 percent of the calories and essentially all the fat.
• Redder cuts of beef contain less fat than the pinker cuts.
• A fried fish filet contains 10 more grams of fat than a baked alternative.
• Two ounces of deli turkey or chicken contains nearly 10 less grams of fat than an equal portion of bologna.
• Skim milk contains 8 grams less fat than whole milk.
• An ounce of part-skim cheeses like mozzarella has 5 less grams of fat than whole-milk focused cheeses like cheddar.
• An ounce of potato chips has close to 10 grams more fat than a baked alternative.
• You can’t change your diet overnight, but it’s good to be aware of the ways to make your diet—and you—healthier.

Kimberly Mueller, MS, RD, is a Registered Sports Dietitian who provides nutrition counseling and customized meal planning to active individuals worldwide. More information on Kim’s services can be found at www.Fuel-Factor.com.