How much trans fat can I have in a day?

Limit your trans fat to 1% or less of your daily calories.

The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 1% of your daily calories from trans fat.

Example:

If you eat 1800 calories a day, no more than 18 calories should come from trans fat.

Here’s the math:

1800 calories x 1% (0.01) = 18 calories

There are 9 calories in one gram of fat. Therefore, the above recommendation is equivalent to getting no more than 2 grams of trans fat per day.

• 18 calories of trans fat ÷ 9 calories per gram = 2 grams of trans fat

Trans fat recommendations based on various calorie levels:

• If you eat 1200 calories a day, less than 12 calories (1.3 grams) should be from trans fat.
• If you eat 1400 calories a day, less than 14 calories (1.6 grams) should be from trans fat.
• If you eat 1600 calories a day, less than 16 calories (1.8 grams) should be from trans fat.
• If you eat 1800 calories a day, less than 18 calories (2 grams) should be from trans fat.
• If you eat 2000 calories a day, less than 20 calories (2.2 grams) should be from trans fat.

Too much trans fat can increase your cholesterol and risk of heart disease. Reading food labels and cutting back on the most common sources of trans fat can help you meet the above recommendations.

Be aware that a company can claim ’0 grams of trans fat’ on a food label if the product has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. This claim can be misleading.