What Is Trans Fat?So just what is trans fat? Everybody seems to be talking about it these days. To give you the scientific definition, trans fats, also called “partially hydrogenated oils,” are fats formed when food manufacturers add hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fats to make them more saturated, more solid, and shelf-stable. Companies use trans fats because they’re easy to use, inexpensive to produce and last a long time but we are the ones paying the price!
In 2003 the FDA finally made it a requirement to include trans fat content on the nutrition label, which was a big step toward increasing awareness among consumers. The American Heart Association recommends less than 2 grams of trans fat per day for the average person and there are many organizations, including the American Medical Association, Center for Science in Public Interest (CPSI), and this website, who believe that trans fat should be banned by the FDA as an ingredient in foods and should be banned in restaurants. Several cities have begun to ban trans fat and several restaurants and food manufacturers have followed suit, which demonstrates the extent to which trans fat are detrimental to your health.
We recommend eating ZERO grams of trans fat each day. Read the food labels, do research on the restaurants you’re eating at, and learn to avoid these artery-clogging fats at all costs. Here are some tips to help you eliminate trans fat from your diet: 1. Don't eat any product which has the words "partially hydrogenated oil" or "shortening" in the ingredients list. 2. Even though the label may say zero trans fats, it may not be accurate. If the words "partially hydrogenated oil" or "shortening" are in the ingredients list, it DOES contain trans fat (this is because of FDA regulations in effect in the United States, which allows companies to declare “0” if trans fat amount per serving is under .5 grams). 3. Be careful when consuming products with labels from outside the United States. Sometimes they contain partially hydrogenated oil but it's not on the label. 4. While eating at restaurants, ask whether they use partially hydrogenated oil for frying or baking or in salad dressings. If they say they use vegetable oil, ask whether it is partially hydrogenated.
Margarine/Butter Try This Instead: Use olive oil instead of butter and margarine, because it’s loaded with heart healthy monounsaturated fat. French Fries Try This Instead: Baked sweet potato fries: cut up some sweet potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and cook for 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees, rotating once halfway through cooking. Doughnuts Try This Instead: Opt for a whole wheat English muffin with almond butter. Fast Food Try This Instead: Cook your own 95% lean burger at home with baked potato wedges or check out some healthy fast food options. Pot Pie Try This Instead: The crust contains tons of trans fat, so try this healthy pie crust recipe: 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 tsp sea salt, 2 T milk, 1/2 cup olive oil (Sift four and salt. Combine oil and milk. Combine to flour mixture. Shape mold dough around pie pan and bake a 375 for 20 minutes). Potato Chips Try This Instead: Wise Lightly Salted Chips *Other foods that often contain trans fat (be sure to check the labels!) Packaged foods: Cake mixes, Bisquick, etc.
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Trans fats increase the amount of artery-clogging LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and lower your amount of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, which is why they increase your chance of heart disease more than any other type of fat. The scary part is, researchers believe there are many more negative health effects of trans fat that aren’t known just yet (including increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and diabetes) because it wasn’t until the 1990’s that trans fats’ adverse health effects started to become widely known among researchers and health care professionals.
