Although many of us think all fat is bad, dietary fat is actually essential to health.

Fat not only supports organ structure and absorption of fat-soluble nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, and K) , it is also an essential part of every cell in our bodies. If we eat 20 percent of our total energy intake as fat, we will have enough to perform these important functions. This equals about 44 grams of fat per day for a person eating 2,000 calories.

What concerns us about fat is that it is very high in calories. For every gram of fat we eat, we consume 9 calories. Compare this to the 4 calories in each gram of carbohydrate or protein. This can add up. For example, a 3-ounce hamburger has about 18 grams of fat or 162 kilocalories of the total 270 in the burger, whereas a 3-ounce serving of turkey (white meat) has 9 grams of fat or 81 kilocalories of the total 150 kilocalories.

Fat also comes in different types and there's a lot of confusion about which type is healthiest. Most healthcare providers recommend reducing saturated fat - the type only found in animal foods - to less than 10 percent your total energy intake. Instead, we should replace saturated fat with monounsaturated fats such as olive, canola, or peanut oil, or to a lesser extent with polyunsaturated fats such as corn oil or vegetable oil. Trans-fatty acids found in hydrogenated fats such as margarines and snack foods should also be limited. Their effects on health are not clearly understood but appear to be negative.

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