By Susan Harrow Rago, RD, MS Dietary fat is the fat that is found in food. Fat is one of four substances in food that provide calories. The other three are carbohydrate , protein, and alcohol. There are three types of natural fats found in foods. These are monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fats .
Most foods contain all three fats in different amounts.
The body can use all three types of fat. Dietary fat has very important functions in the body. Only a moderate amount of fat is needed for good health. Too much fat or the wrong type of fat can be harmful. A healthy diet should have more unsaturated fat than saturated fat.