Fat Guide

Türkiye Beslenme Rehberi (TÜBER), Türkiye's national dietary guideline, recommends that between 20 and 35 percent of daily energy come from fat. In a 2000 calorie diet this means about 44-77 grams of fat. 1 gram of fat provides 9 calories; among the macronutrients this is the one that gives the most energy, and its type matters as much as its amount.

How are the fat types told apart?

The fats in the diet are divided into four groups: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fatty acids. The fat in a food is a mixture of these four; no food is made up of a single fatty acid. Unsaturated fats of plant origin are usually liquid at room temperature, while animal fats are solid and carry cholesterol.

The guideline also gives the distribution inside total fat. Of the energy coming from total fat, 10 percent, preferably 7-8 percent, should come from saturated fats, 12-15 percent from monounsaturated fats such as olive oil and hazelnut oil, and 7-10 percent from polyunsaturated fats. For the essential fatty acids the target is clearer: 4 percent of energy from linoleic acid, 0.5 percent from alpha linolenic acid.

How much of the fat can be seen?

The guideline divides the fat in the diet in two: the fat added directly to the plate, and the fat that comes from the food's own structure. The daily total fat consumption measured in Türkiye is 50.2 grams, and part of that is taken in without ever being seen. The measured breakdown of the distinction is in the visible and invisible fat article.

These numbers are the measured state of consumption, not a recommendation. On the recommendation side, solid fat intake is asked to be kept at the lowest level, and cholesterol intake in adults to stay below 300 milligrams a day. The measured cholesterol intake is 290.3 milligrams in men over 19 and 211.0 milligrams in women.

Which fat is found in which food?

Every group has its own source list, and those lists are given item by item in the saturated and unsaturated fat article. In short: liquid plant oils gather on the unsaturated side, solid animal fats on the saturated side.

Oily fish are the foods that carry the EPA and DHA fatty acids most densely; the guideline recommends eating oily fish at least twice a week. The amount given for the daily total of EPA and DHA in adults is 250-500 milligrams.

Why does the fourth group stand apart?

While three fatty acid groups take a share inside a distribution table, trans fat takes none; instead a ceiling is put over it. The ceiling the guideline sets is below 1 percent of daily energy. The reason for this difference is its two-way effect on blood lipids.

Its sources, the ways it rises in the kitchen and the gram equivalent of the ceiling are detailed in the trans fat article. What matters for this guide is this: trans fat is not an item that asks for a share inside the total fat target, it is an item limited separately.

The ratio between n-3 and n-6

Unsaturated fats are gathered under the n-3, n-6 and n-9 groups. The guideline notes the ratio of these groups to one another as well: for the n-3 to n-6 intake ratio, values between 1/4 and 1/10 are recommended in various countries. On the amount side, the target given for Türkiye in n-6 fatty acids is 5 grams a day for women and 6.4 grams for men.

The target on the n-3 side is smaller. While 250-500 milligrams is recommended for the total of EPA and DHA in adults, the adequate intake given for these two fatty acids in the reference values table is 250 milligrams a day. The difference between them is not a contradiction but the floor and the band of the same target; the table gives the floor, the text gives the practical range.

Where does it turn into a mistake?

Fat is a building block not only in the diet but in the body itself: according to the guideline 15-20 percent of the adult human organism is fat, and under normal conditions the body fat ratio is around 25 percent in women and 15 percent in men. This ratio changes with age, with physical activity and with the type of food consumed.

The first mistake is trying to remove fat altogether. Fats carry vitamins A, D, E and K and the essential fatty acids, and by leaving the stomach slowly they give a feeling of fullness. The second mistake is the opposite: leaving the amount free because the type is right. The energy content of every fat type is high, and all of them are consumed in measure.

The third mistake shows up in cooking. Reheating a food that contains trans fat even at a low level, again and again, can raise that amount; boiling, grilling and the oven are preferred over frying. You can see which fat is found in which food and in what amount from the fat tab of the nutrition values table, and work out the gram target for your own energy intake with the macro distribution calculator.