Ask reddit: Why do we care about fat content in food? Shouldn't we just worry about calories (regardless of source)?

Rhomboid · 2 years

Well in a sense, since fat is more than two times as calorie dense as the other macronutrients (9 kcal/gram vs 4), it is very easy for foods with high fat content to easily have lots of calories, so paying attention to fat content is kind of a way of paying attention to calorie content at the same time. (Of course this has changed in the last decade or two as refined starches and sugars have really taken over as the caloric heavy hitters in a lot of diets.)

But the real answer is that in the late 70s and early 80s medical science told us that high fat diets were bad for our hearts, which kicked off a long craze of trying to cut fats in various ways, without regard for the more subtle questions of good fats vs. bad fats or the source of the fats.

es-335 · 2 years

Caloric intake+expenditure is key, but there's something called nutritional value. If you calculate (by whichever method) that you need 2500 calories/day, you can get it by eating either as many twinkies or other healthier foods as add up to that in either case. Also, I'm not sure if you're asking about good fats v. bad fats, but rather overall fat content of diet.

A common reference for support of high-fat intake is the Inuit. Yes, they have a very high-fat/high-protein diet, but their living conditions are far different than yours (I'm guessing you don't live in extreme conditions as them, and you don't hunt for food). Also, there was only one study IIRC that "tested" the merits of their diet and I don't remember much info on their total caloric intake/expenditure, I think more research would be necessary before one can confidently say that adapting their diet is viable in a city/suburban lifestyle.

But the bottom line is it depends on your lifestyle. Are you sedentary? Do you exercise regularly? Are you athletic? Training for the Olympics? Just hitting the heavy bag a few times/week to stay in shape and for fun? Depending on what you do with regard to physical activity, juggling the fat/protein/carb ratios of your diet most certainly help beyond just measuring calories. Anecdotal as it may be, I have been physically active with exercise, weights and boxing for many years and I can most definitely attest to the impact of where your calories come from as opposed to the total number alone.

Flying_Teapot · 2 years

This article has a lot of good information about dietary fats.

jazzilliognito · 2 years

Why do we care so much about fat? Monitoring processed food intake and over-consumption of meat is the most important thing to look out for. Don't worry about your number of calories, be concerned where your calories are coming from.

Kardlonoc · 2 years

As much as people try and cut it what most people don't realize (especially newbie vegetarians) is that you need fats especially to stay healthy. You go without fats and you will have little to nothing to fall back on when you run out of energy and you run all the risks.

traal · 2 years

Avoid saturated fats (with the possible exception of coconut oil) and especially trans fats. Other than that, yes, just worry about calories.

frakit · 2 years

Absolutely. I have to eat alot of cashews to get my fat content up or else I feel off. There's no such thing as bad food, just eat everything in moderation. Saying that, I don't eat fast food as I don't consider it food and it always makes me sick.

eclectro · 2 years

There is that whole cholesterol thing. Then there is the issue of trans-saturated fats (which should be outlawed), and saturated/unsaturated fats. So it's just not about calories. Edit. Punct.

boxer_shanx · 2 years

Fat is very important in many ways. I am all about macro nutrient manipulation, but calorie content is not enough info.

tcpip4lyfe · 2 years

Eat what ever you want just run a few miles a day. I ran into my 7th grade teacher in a bar once. This man LOVES to eat and he eat anything he wants. He's about 140 pounds and he's at least 65. Everyday he wakes up and does 200 push ups, walks 4 miles and runs at least 5 miles.

lencioni · 2 years

Calorie counts on food labels may be wrong. I believe calories on the label represents how many calories are in the food, not how much our bodies will use.

pjharvey · 2 years

Processed (hydrogenated) fats are bad. Most natually occuring fats, both saturated and un, are fine - some even essential.

codepoet · 2 years

Yes.

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