Ask Dr. Gourmet

How much saturated fat is too much for a breakfast bar?

I checked out your recommended breakfast bars. The number one bar had 1.5 grams of saturated fat. I didn't purchase it because I was concerned about the saturated fat and I don't know what is the acceptable number of grams for good healthy eating. I bought Kashi Granola bars instead with 4g of fiber and 6-7 g of protein and 0.5 saturated fat. What do you think?

Dr. Gourmet Says...

Certainly we should all be concerned with the amount of saturated fat that we consume. It's not, however, something that you need to obsess over and the difference between 0.5 grams and 1.5 grams is slight. Both bars are very low in fat and saturated fat.

Here are links to my discussion of fats and saturated fats:

Dr. Tim Says.... Fats
Dr. Tim Says.... Saturated Fats

Thanks for writing,

Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP
Dr. Gourmet