Monounsaturated Fat

The Mediterranean workhorse — where most of your fat budget wants to live.

Updated

What it is

Monounsaturated fat (MUFA) is the main fat of olive oil, avocados, and most nuts — liquid at room temperature, stable to cook with, and the fat category with the friendliest evidence: swapped in for saturated fat, it's associated with better cholesterol profiles and sits at the heart of the best-studied dietary patterns.

How much

No formal target exists, and none is needed: the practical rule is that after protein is set and the fat floor is met, the majority of your fat grams ideally come from unsaturated sources, with MUFA carrying the biggest share. If your cooking fat is olive oil and your snacks include nuts, you're most of the way there without arithmetic.

How well it's tracked

Only partially — and this is worth internalizing: the fat breakdown (mono vs poly) is optional on most labels and absent from many foods, so your MUFA number will read lower than reality. Treat it as a relative signal between your own days, not an absolute total.

Food sources

Olive oil, avocado, almonds, cashews, peanuts, and most nut butters; also present in meat and dairy fat alongside their saturated share.

In the app

MUFA has its card in Insights' nutrition section with contributors — most illuminating on days you cooked at home, where the label data actually exists.