Do I need more fat in my diet?

[momto3kittiess]

Here is what I have been eating daily:

Breakfast:
1 cup corn chex
1 cup fat free milk
1 banana

Snack:
Yoplait light yogurt

Lunch:
2 slices whole wheat bread
about 8-10 slices of turkey lunch meat
1 slice of deli cheese
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 cup grapes

Dinner:
1 boneless and skinless chicken breast from the george forman grill
1 cup steamed broccoli
1/2 cup brown rice
1 tsp soy sauce

And sometimes if I need another snack, or something sweet I may have a 100 cal snack.

I was on Sparkpeople, and it said everything is good but I have 15 grams of fat, and I should have around 35-61. That seems like a lot.

What do you all think?

[bellastarr]

I have the same problem, i sometimes think i dont get enough fat in my diet, when i feel like that i try to have something small and low cal that has protein and fat like a handful of almonds or a hard boiled egg. I think 30 grams of fat is good if you are on a diet... i thought i heard that on Oprah once not to to go too over that although FAT isnt as bad as too many calories, we need some FAT to keep us full and satisfied

[yoyoma]

I really think you are not getting enough healthy fats.

I eat salmon almost every day and I still take fish oil supplement. In addition, I eat almonds almost every day. I saute with canola oil, dress salads with olive oil or put slivers of avacado or a sprinkling of walnuts in salads... I'm a calorie counter. I know they are high in calories but healthy fats are very important nutritionally. And eating healthy fats with meals/snacks helps manage hunger.

I think the healthy fats have done wonders for my skin, but they are important for memory and heart health and a host of other vital functions.

[nelie]

I would agree that you aren't getting enough healthy fats. I get about 20-30g fat/day but it is all healthy fats. Avocado, olive oil, olives, nuts, flax seed and small amount that I get naturally from beans, grains and veggies.

My other question would be is... where are your veggies? 1 cup of broccoli for dinner is pretty minimal. I'd beef up your lunches and snacks with veggies as well.

[momto3kittiess]

Thanks for your suggestions...I never realized I am really not eating a lot of veggies. I think I will add in a salad somewhere in my diet, and almonds are a good idea!

[HealthyGir2010]

I've heard that the amount of fat that you should be having is proportional to the amount of calories that you have per day. As a rule of thumb, you should be having 30% of your daily caloric intake as fat and no more than 10% of this fat intake should be in the form of saturated fat.

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