Question

Zara is trying to cut back on her fat intake to help reduce total calorie intake and promote gradual weight loss. If she follows an 1800-kilocalorie meal plan and wants to achieve the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range recommendation for total fat (20–35% of calories), how many grams of fat per day should she be eating?

Answer 1

To determine how many grams of fat Zara should be consuming while following an 1800-kilocalorie meal plan, we need to calculate the range of calories that should come from fat based on the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) recommendation, which is 20–35% of total calories.

1. **Calculate the range of calories from fat:**
- **Minimum fat intake (20% of calories):**
\[
0.20 \times 1800 \text{ kcal} = 360 \text{ kcal from fat}
\]
- **Maximum fat intake (35% of calories):**
\[
0.35 \times 1800 \text{ kcal} = 630 \text{ kcal from fat}
\]

2. **Convert calories from fat to grams of fat:**
Since there are 9 kilocalories in each gram of fat, we can convert the calorie range into grams.
- **Minimum grams of fat:**
\[
\frac{360 \text{ kcal}}{9 \text{ kcal/g}} = 40 \text{ g of fat}
\]
- **Maximum grams of fat:**
\[
\frac{630 \text{ kcal}}{9 \text{ kcal/g}} = 70 \text{ g of fat}
\]

3. **Conclusion:**
Based on this calculation, Zara should aim to consume between **40 to 70 grams of fat** per day to align with the AMDR recommendation for her 1800-kilocalorie meal plan.