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Everything You Need to Know About Fat

February 2026
Chava Pearl Lansky

Dan Saelinger/Trunk Archive (Fries); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)

There are a lot of mixed messages about fat: You might think that all fat is bad for you. Or maybe you’ve heard that you can eat as much of it as you want. But the truth is more complicated. Fat is a crucial component of good nutrition. It’s a source of energy and helps your body produce hormones, build nerve tissue, and repair cells. You also need fat to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K—all of which are necessary for your well-being. But not all types of fat are created equal. Read on to understand which foods contain the healthiest fats, and which foods contain fats that you should enjoy only in moderation. 

Types of Fats

Type of Fat: Polyunsaturated Fat

Found In: Canola, corn, and soybean oils; oily fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and tofu/soybeans

Type of Fat: Monounsaturated Fat

Found In: Olive and canola oil, avocados, peanut butter, most nuts, sesame and pumpkin seeds

Health Effects: These fats reduce bad cholesterol levels. They also lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Recommendations: These foods are healthy. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that they form a main part of your diet and replace foods with saturated and trans fats.

Type of Fat: Saturated Fat

Found In: Red meat, poultry with skin, full-fat dairy products, eggs with yolks, coconut oil, and palm oil

Health Effects: High intake of saturated fat can elevate bad cholesterol levels and raise the risk of heart disease.

Recommendations: The AHA says that a healthy diet should include less than 6% of total calories from saturated fat.

Type of Fat: Trans Fat

Found In: Fried foods and baked goods made with partially hydrogenated* oils

Health Effects: Trans fat can lower good cholesterol and raise the risk of type 2 diabetes. 

Recommendations: The AHA says to reduce intake of trans fat as much as possible.


*This process, which adds hydrogen to vegetable oil, was banned in manufactured foods in 2018.

Decoding Food Packages

The U.S. government has rules for what these common terms found on food packaging actually mean.

Fat Free: Must contain no more than 0.5 gram of fat per serving

Low-Fat: Contains 3 grams of fat or less per serving

Reduced Fat: Must have 50% less fat or one-third fewer calories than the regular version

Light/Lite: Must have 25% to 49% less fat per serving than the regular version

TRUE OR FALSE?

1

TRUE OR FALSE? Fat contains more calories per gram than other nutrients.

TRUE!  Most nutrients fall into one of three categories: carbohydrates, proteins, or fats. But while 1 gram of carb or protein has 4 calories, 1 gram of fat has 9 calories. That’s why higher-fat foods have more calories than foods that are lower in fat but higher in protein or carbs.
2

TRUE OR FALSE? Eating fats always leads to weight gain.

FALSE!  Eating fats doesn’t necessarily lead to weight gain. Weight gain happens when you take in more calories than your body needs, regardless of the source. It can also be due to factors like medications, hormones, and other conditions.
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