Fat Goals

Fat is a highly concentrated energy source and the body's primary fuel at rest and during low intensity physical activity. Muscle is the main tissue that burns (oxidizes) fat. High rates of fat oxidation can occur during aerobic exercise, and using fat to fuel exercise can spare muscle glycogen. Adaptation to aerobic exercise training improves fat utilization as a fuel source.

Fat adds flavor, texture, and appeal to foods. Fat tastes good! For athletes, fat is an important fuel and consuming fat helps meet daily energy requirements. Fat carries fat-soluble vitamins but the only dietary need for fat is to supply essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acids). Consuming even low levels of fat will met this requirement. In general, a daily fat intake of 1g/kg BW/day is more than adequate to meet dietary needs.

Fat Recommendations

Too little fat? Although inadequate intake of dietary fat would be rare for most athletes, those who consume very low fat diets for long periods may not obtain sufficient fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin E which has antioxidant functions. Additionally, maintaining low levels of fat intake (<20% of calories) restricts food choices and makes it difficult to consume a varied diet. Restrained eating and extreme fat restriction increase risk for eating disorders that ultimately impair exercise performance. For good health, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming at least 15% of total dietary calories as fat.

Too much fat? Concerning cardiovascular health, consuming no more than 30% of total calories from fat is recommended. However, for athletes who have high caloric needs (>5,000 kcal/day) eating enough food without exceeding the 30% fat limit is challenging due to the large volume of food that must be consumed. Exceeding the 30% fat recommendation on days of high energy expenditure seems to be a reasonable approach to meeting total energy demands as long as carbohydrate, protein, vitamin, and mineral needs are met as well.

Fat Considerations

Ice Hockey

  • High intensity, intermittent activity which places demands on both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.
  • Requires muscular strength and a large, lean body that moves with speed, accuracy, and power.
  • Although even lean bodies store ample amounts of fat, the contribution of fat to energy production is limited by the relative slow rate of fat oxidation.
  • Despite limited reliance on fat during high intensity physical activity, significant amounts of fat are oxidized during rest to meet overall daily energy expenditures especially during periods of heavy training and competition.

Cross Country Skiing

  • Prolonged continuous, moderate to intense activity that places high demands on aerobic metabolism.
  • Physical activity performed at 70% VO2max over long duration involves a significant amount of fat oxidation.
  • Endurance training enhances fat oxidation via metabolic adaptations that increase the number and size of mitochondria and oxidative enzymes in muscle cells.
  • Endurance training promotes the use of intramuscular triglycerides as fuel substrates for exercise.
  • Increased fat oxidation as a result of endurance training is associated with decreased muscle glycogen use and improved endurance performance.

Where is fat in foods?

Look at the Food Guide Pyramid to find the food groups that contain fat.

 

What does 100 grams of fat look like in food?

Food

Amount

Fat (grams)
2% milk 2 cups 9
Hamburger 1 small 10
French fries small order 10
Pizza, cheese 2 slices 6
Salad dressing 1 Tbsp 7
Butter 2 tsp 8
Oil 1 Tbsp 14
Cream cheese 1 Tbsp 5
Peanut butter 1 Tbsp 8
Ice cream 1 cup 15
Chocolate chip cookie 1 med 9
  Total: 101


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