It’s that time again–time to answer another question in our Ask the Dietitian series. As usual, if you have a question you’d like to ask, please feel free to leave a comment with your question on any post and we’ll add it to the queue.

This month’s question comes from a twitter friend (@ahrycyk):

In regards to the good fats (like peanut butter) how much is too much? Is it better to focus on these good fats?

It’s good that you’ve recognized that fats are important to the functioning of our bodies, and shouldn’t be cut out of our diets altogether. Good fats (mono-unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids) should make up the majority of our fat intake and are significantly better for us than saturated fats, which shouldn’t make up more than 10% of our total fat intake.

However, don’t get lulled into thinking that eating a lot of a good fat is OK. While good fats are better for us than saturated fats or trans fats, we can still eat too much of them. Focus on eating mostly unsaturated fats, but watch your total fat intake, making sure it doesn’t make up more than 30% of your total calorie intake (1 gram of fat = 9 calories). Some foods that contain these healthier fats include peanut butter as you mentioned, as well as avocados, olive oil, almond or cashew butter, salmon, walnuts and seeds like pumpkin or sesame seeds.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."