Making Sense of Fats on Food Labels

Week 2 of my 6-Week Label Reading Series: A deep dive into dietary fats

Hello readers! Welcome to Week 2 of my label-reading series, where we’re breaking down each line of the Nutrition Facts table to help you make more informed, confident choices at the grocery store. I’m sharing practical, evidence-based strategies using my real-world approach as a dietitian, so you can read labels with more clarity.

If you missed last week’s post, you can catch up here:

• Calories - Why they’re not the most important number

And here are some other related posts that might be helpful:

• Decoding Serving Sizes: What you need to know

• Percent Daily Value: the average 2,000-calorie diet, reference values, and how to use it

This week, we’re tackling Fats. There’s a lot to unpack here - we’ll cover the science behind which types of fats to include or limit in a healthy diet, how to spot them on ingredient lists, and what to look for on food labels.

Here’s what you can expect in this post:

• The role of fat in our diet

• Healthy fat sources

• How much do you need?

• Types of fat:

  • Saturated fat (🔒 PAID only)

  • Trans Fat (🔒 PAID only)

  • Unsaturated fat (🔒 PAID only)

• Common fat-containing ingredients in processed foods (🔒 PAID only)

• 5 practical tips for assessing fat on food labels (🔒 PAID only)

• Real product examples to tie it all together (🔒 PAID only)

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Let’s get started.

The role of fat in our diet

Fat plays an important role in a healthy diet. Despite the low-fat messaging of the 1980s and 90s, we now understand that fat is not something to avoid - it’s essential for health.

Dietary fat supports many key functions in the body. It’s vital for brain health (your brain is about 60% fat!), helps your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), supports cell structure and hormone production, and plays a role in reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases. Fat will also impact the digestion of your meals and snacks. Just like protein, fat is slow-digesting, which keeps you feeling fuller for longer. And beyond nutrition, fat enhances the flavour and texture of food, making meals more satisfying and enjoyable.

Healthy fat sources

Fats from sources such as fish, nuts and seeds, olive oil, avocado, and even some seed oils, have been shown to be consistently beneficial in research, supporting lower levels of inflammation and reduced risk of chronic disease.

Healthy fat sources include:

• Unsaturated oils, such as olive oil

• Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel

• Nuts, such as walnuts and almonds

• Seeds, such as chia, flax, pumpkin, and sunflower

• Other sources, such as avocados and olives

But what about fat sources in processed foods? Today, we’ll cover how to assess the fats on a nutrition facts table and ingredient list to help you decipher which products will support a healthy dietary pattern and which ones to limit.

How much fat do you need?

In Canada and the U.S., the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for fat is up to 35% of your total daily calories. This is the benchmark used to calculate the % Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts table. For reference, this is around 78 grams of fat daily for someone eating 2,000 calories per day.

But realistically, there’s no need to aim for a specific gram target each day. Just like with calories, fat needs vary from person to person. The “right” amount depends on many factors - your age, activity level, health goals, what feels satisfying, and how a particular food fits into your overall diet.

Plus, most of us don’t eat the same foods in the same amounts every day, and we don’t need to. When it comes to fat, it’s not about hitting an exact number each day, but about following eating patterns that support overall health. This includes:

• Including a source of fat at each meal and snack

• Getting most of your fats from minimally processed foods (like nuts, seeds, olive oil, fatty fish, and avocado)

How to read the Fats section on the Nutrition Facts table

Before we get into the different types of fats and fat-containing ingredients, let’s take a quick look at how the fats section of the Nutrition Facts table is structured.

Note: Since we have both American and Canadian friends here, I’ve included examples from both food labels. But when it comes to fats, the labels are nearly identical.

Fat is the first nutrient listed under calories on both Canadian and U.S. labels. In both countries, food labels are required to list the following in the “Fat” section:

• Total fat (worded as “Total Fat” in the U.S. and simply “Fat” in Canada)

• Saturated fat

• Trans fat

Even though unsaturated fats aren’t required to appear as a separate line item, you can figure out how much is present by subtracting the saturated and trans fats from the total fat. Anything that’s not saturated or trans is, by default, unsaturated fat.

For example, the Canadian label shown above lists 4.5 grams of total fat. Of that, 0.5 grams are saturated fat and 0 grams are trans fat. The remaining 4 grams are unsaturated fat.

Expanded fat section

While only total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat are required on food labels, manufacturers are allowed to include additional details, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. That’s why you may sometimes see extra line items under the fat section (as shown in the example below). Including these details is optional, so don’t be surprised if they’re missing on many products.

Types of Fat:

Saturated fat

Saturated fat is the second line in the fats section of the Nutrition Facts table. Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature and are found in animal products like butter, cheese, cream, and fatty cuts of meat, as well as certain plant-based oils such as coconut and palm oil.

Saturated fat has long been believed to contribute to heart disease, primarily because it tends to raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which is the leading cause of atherosclerosis (clogged arteries). Some population studies support this link. For example, a 2020 Cochrane review found that reducing saturated fat intake for at least two years was associated with a 21% reduction in cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks), with greater reductions in saturated fat yielding even better outcomes.

However, the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease isn’t as clear-cut as once thought, with some studies failing to show any significant impact of saturated fat on heart disease.