Dietary Guidelines For Healthy American Adults

AHA Scientific Position

The American Heart Association Eating Plan for Healthy Americans is based on these AHA dietary guidelines:

• Total fat intake should be no more 30 percent of total calories.
• Saturated fatty acid intake should be 8-10 percent of total calories.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake should be up to 10 percent of total calories.
• Monounsaturated fatty acidsmake up to 15 percent of total calories.
• Cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams per day.
• Sodium intake should be less than 2400 milligrams per day, which is about 1-1/4 teaspoons of sodium chloride (salt).
• Carbohydrate intake should make up 55-60 percent or more of calories, with emphasis on increasing sources of complex carbohydrates.
• Total calories should be adjusted to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

Some people misinterpret the first guideline to mean that each food or each recipe should have less than 30 percent of its calories come from fat. The guideline applies to total calories eaten over several days, such as a week. If it is applied to single foods, the "30 percent of calories from fat" guideline will cause many foods that fit into a well-balanced eating plan to be excluded.

Examples of these foods include: oil and margarine (100% of calories from fat), regular and low-calorie salad dressings (75-100% of calories from fat), dark chicken meat without skin (43% of calories from fat), salmon (36% of calories from fat), lower-fat meats like turkey ham (34% of calories from fat), as well as many nuts and seeds (75-90% of calories from fat).

Applying the 30 percent standard to single foods greatly limits the variety of foods in the diet and can be misleading. The only way to maintain balance, variety and enjoyment of the AHA eating plan is to interpret the guideline with emphasis on the words "total calories."

What are recommended amounts of total fat and saturated fat in grams?

These guidelines were developed for the U.S. population; however, persons with a history of heart disease and/or high cholesterol need to reduce their saturated fat intake to 7 percent of total calories or less and keep their total cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg per day. Reducing excess body weight and regular exercise are also extremely important for people at high risk for CHD and stroke.

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The information in the American Heart Association (AHA) Web site is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, and the AHA recommends consultation with your doctor or healthcare professional.