People have conflicting views on fats in their diet. These are usually shaped by the prevailing guidelines of the time, which are not always right.
Let's get the background stuff out of the way: 9 calories per gram (get your hands out of the peanut butter jar), they're more fundamental for health but not as good for performance as carbs.
We need them for the following:
hormone balance
anti-inflammatory benefits
anti-depressant benefits
anti-catabolic effects (for you Keto zealots out there)
making cholesterol
better digestion and gut health
being normal
Western diets haven't done a great job of promoting a healthy balance of the type of fats that we need. Loaded with saturated and trans-fats (nothing to do with gender), and low in poly and mono-unsaturated fats. The ratio on Omega-6s and Omega-3s is around 16:1, and it should be closer to 4:1.
Saturated fats get a bad rep and are touted as the reason for cardiovascular diseases and cancer. If you're the Liver King, you need to reign it in. But in small amounts, they're needed also for health but intakes should be monitored as we age due to the fact that they can increase inflammation levels in the body.
As a general rule, we should avoid trans-fats completely, limit saturated fats, and fill our fat intake through poly and mono-unsaturated fats. Realistically, this won't happen unless you're die-hard about your training and nutrition, but something to aim for.
What are the good sources then?
Poly-unsaturated Omega 3s: grass-fed meats, wild meats, grass-fed eggs, oily fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines, seabass), walnuts, flaxseed, and rapeseed oil
Poly-unsaturated Omega 6s*: sunflower and corn oils, soybean oil, canola oil, nuts, seeds
*We already get a fair amount of Omega-6s in our diet, so we don't need to go out of our way to eat more, but rather get a better ratio of the 3s to 6s.
Mono-unsaturated Omega 9s: avocado, avocado oil, nuts
How much overall should we eat?
This will vary. Athletes can and should have a higher fat intake compared to Average Joes, as energy requirements are higher to maintain healthy hormone levels. 30-50% of total daily energy intake is not uncommon, endurance athletes tend to be on the higher side.
For non-athletes, keeping to 20-35% of total daily caloric intake will get the job done, and we shouldn't drop below 20% for more than a couple of weeks for health reasons.
Financial considerations are a thing. Eating grass-fed meats, eggs, and wild fish can drain the wallet to make the inclusion of some of these impractical. Investing in high-quality fish oils or for vegans/vegetarians a flaxseed oil with good amounts of EPA/DHA, and Omega 3, 6, and 9 will go a long way towards meeting intake requirements. You get what you pay for, so pay for the good stuff.
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