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Foods That Provide the Most Total Fat

According to The Mayo Clinic, dietary guidelines suggest that healthy adults generally should limit dietary fat to no more than 20 to 35 percent of total daily calories. On top of that, there's a big difference between the various types of fat. Saturated and trans fats can be harmful to your health because they can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. But polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats can actually improve blood cholesterol levels. When eating high-fat foods, it's important to understand the sources of fat that comprise those foods.

  1. Meats

    • Certain meats are among the foods with the highest fat content. Generally, beef and pork labeled "lean" has less fat. Ground beef is labeled according to the percentage of fat. The USDA maintains standards that ground beef may not have more than 25 percent fat, so when you see beef labeled "75 percent lean," that is the fattiest type of ground beef. Bacon is one of the fattiest cuts of meat, with 42 grams of fat per 100 grams of food. Salami has 42 grams of fat per 100 grams of meat, duck roast has 29 grams of fat per 100 grams of meat and liverwurst has 27 grams of fat per 100 grams of meat.

    Oils

    • Oils are among the fattiest foods and are comprised of 100 percent fat. However, many oils, like canola, olive and safflower contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are healthier for your heart. Oils provide 100 grams of fat per 100 grams of food and eating them in moderation is fine. The Mayo Clinic recommends 44 to 78 fat grams a day for someone on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, so 1-2 Tablespoons of oil each day, which contains around 14 grams of fat per Tablespoon, is okay.

    Dairy

    • Certain dairy products are on the list of foods with the highest fat content as well. Dairy products are commonly high in both total fat and saturated fat. Most cheese contains around 9 grams of total fat and 6 grams of saturated fat per serving. Cream cheese contains 10 grams of total fat and 6 grams of saturated fat per serving, and sour cream and heavy cream contain 12 grams of total fat per serving.

    Nuts

    • Nuts also have a high total fat content, but much of the fast comes from healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources. One ounce of almonds contains 15 grams of total fat. One ounce of walnuts contains 18 grams of total fat. Two Tablespoons of peanut butter has 16 grams of total fat. One ounce of peanuts has 14 grams of total fat.

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