Even now that I know about that, my daily fat intake is still less than 10 grams a day, which I know is probably horrible for me. I just don't want to increase and suddenly balloon.
Hi 11Firecrackers,
I just stumbled onto this thread and thought I could add a little insight. There have already been many good comments regarding fat and its importance in your diet, so I don't want to rehash those. Instead, I thought it might help you to figure out how much fat is appropriate for your diet. In general, our diets should be comprised of around 25-30% fat. Therefore, if you know how many calories you need daily (use Harris-Benedict equation to figure if you don't already know), you can easily calculate your fat needs.
Remember that fat has 9 cals/gm.
Here's a sample calculation for an individual who needs 1500 calories per day:
1500 calories x 30% (0.30) = 450 calories
450 calories per day / 9 calories per gram = 50 grams per day
1500 calories x 25% (0.25) = 375 calories
375 calories per day / 9 calories per gram = 42 grams per day
Therefore, this individual needs about 42-50 grams of fat per day.
I included this calculation NOT because I think you need to start counting every gram of fat you eat, but I thought it might help to alleviate your fear of fat a bit and show you that your diet could definitely stand to use more fat.
As far as good ways for you to add fat, I would agree with others who've mentioned olives/olive oil, avocado, canola oil, peanuts/peanut oil, walnuts, oily fish, seeds, and other unsaturated fats. Also, if you will begin to choose more "light" or "reduced-fat" products instead of "fat-free" ones, you'll gradually inch up your fat intake.