Learn how to swap out saturated fats for healthier options. The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from saturated fats to less than 10% of the total calories you eat and drink each day. That’s about 200 calories for a 2,000 calorie diet. What are saturated fats?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 (USDA and HHS, 2011) provide U.S. consumers with information and guidance on how to follow a healthy eating pattern, emphasizing nutrient density over energy density, as well as physical activity to help achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

In this study, fat intakes are compared with the recommendations from the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: no more than 30 percent of calories from total fat and less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat. On average, each gram of carbohydrate, protein, and fat generates 4, 4, and 9 calories.

You should limit saturated fat to less than 10% of your daily calories. To further reduce your heart disease risk, limit saturated fats to less than 7% of your total daily calories. For a 2,000 calorie diet, that is 140 to 200 calories or 16 to 22 grams (g) of saturated fats a day.

Low fat diet 1,500 calories: about 50 grams of fat per day. 2,000 calories: about 67 grams of fat per day. 2,500 calories: about 83 grams of fat per day.

Calculating Calories and Fat Grams

1. Determine your estimated calorie needs in the chart below: Physical Activity Level.
2. No more than 30% of calories should be from fat, so take the total calories and multiply by 30%.
3. Because there are 9 calories in each gram of fat, take calories from fat per day and divide by 9.

Appendix DDietary Guidelines for Americans Guidelines and Key Recommendations

• Eat a variety of foods.
• Maintain ideal weight.
• Avoid too much fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
• Eat foods with adequate starch and fiber.
• Avoid too much sugar.
• Avoid too much sodium.
• If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.

Eat mostly plant foods (such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains) and a moderate amount of lean and low-fat, animal-based food (meat and dairy products) to help control your fat, cholesterol, carbs, and calories. When you’re shopping, choose fish, poultry, and lean meats. Limit these to 5-7 ounces per day.

The document addresses five major guidelines: 1) follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan, 2) focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount, 3) limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium intake, 4) shift to healthier food and beverage choices, and 5) support healthy eating …

The dietary reference intake (DRI) for fat in adults is 20% to 35% of total calories from fat. That is about 44 grams to 77 grams of fat per day if you eat 2,000 calories a day.

Released on January 31, 2011, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans featured recommendations developed and released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS). It remained the current Federal guidance until the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for American s was released.

The maximum of 35% was based on limiting saturated fat and also the observation that individuals on higher fat diets consume more calories, resulting in weight gain. No Tolerable Upper Intake Level was set for total fat because there is no intake level for which there is an adverse event.

Consider choosing “low-fat,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat” dairy products to reduce your intake of less healthy saturated fat. Choose skim or 1% milk. Enjoy low-fat cheeses (no more than 3 grams of fat per ounce). Choose lean meats, fish, and poultry. Limit your portion of protein to about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards.