Fat grams, calories or percentages: Which are more important? All three are intended to help you understand the fat content of foods. However, looking at fat grams is probably the most useful way to monitor how much fat you're getting in your daily diet.
Health experts at the Institute of Medicine recommend that healthy adults get 20 to 35 percent of their total calories from fat. Each gram of fat has 9 calories. So, if you're trying to eat 1,800 calories a day, you should have no more than 70 grams of fat a day — 35 percent of 1,800 calories = 630 calories, divided by 9 (calories per gram of fat) = 70 grams.
