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The Unhealthy Truth About Trans Fats
What do Jack in the Box french fries, Krispy Kreme donuts and Oreos have in common?
They all contain trans fats, also known as trans fatty acids, trans saturated fats, partially hydrogenated oils and hydrogenated fats.
People used to think that all types of fat are bad. But if you are scared of fats, the fat that you should fear most is the trans fat.
Trans fats are fats that are formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine and shortening. Trans refers to the chemical composition of the fatty acid. Hydrogen atoms are added to the fat in a process called hydrogenization to make it more stable at room temperature.
Trans fats are food enhancers, used to make foods like peanut butter creamier and to greatly extend the shelf life of food products, helping them stay fresher longer and decreasing the “greasy” feel.
If that is the case, then…
Why Are Trans Fats So Dangerous?
Trans fats have only been around during the last century, which means that the human body is not used to and probably will not get used to having them included in the daily diet.
Though it naturally occurs in beef and some high-fat dairy products, trans fat is basically an industrial product, as evidenced by its use to lengthen the shelf life and improve the stability of food.
Numerous studies have revealed that trans fats:
• Increase your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while decreasing your HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• Increase your risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke
• Contribute to increased inflammation, diabetes and other health problems.
Ninety percent of trans fats are hidden in many processed foods like fast food, biscuits, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, pastries, etc. Since 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes to processed foods, that will give you an idea on how much trans fats you’re consuming on a daily basis.
According to Dr. Mercola and many other health experts, there are no safe levels when it comes to trans fat consumption because serious health effects may occur at low levels. In fact, the Harvard School of Health warns that if you add just 2 percent more calories from trans fat to your diet, you increase your risk of heart disease by 23 percent!
The average American eats about six grams of trans fats per day. Your goal should be to limit your trans fat intake to less than two grams a day, or zero if possible, as recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA).
A new labeling law initiated by the FDA in 2006 has forced food companies to list trans fats on the label of their products.
Grocery shelves are now stacked with “zero trans fat” products. But are you sure that that zero really means zero?
What Does “Zero Trans Fat” Really Mean?
According to FDA guidelines, food products with less than 0.5g of trans fat content per serving can put “zero trans fat” on their nutritional labels.
This means that you still consume up to 0.49g of trans fat from one serving of a “zero grams trans fat” product, and after breakfast, lunch and dinner, three servings of this “zero grams trans fat” product still gives you almost 1.5g of trans fat per day.
Even if you eat only one “zero grams trans fat” serving at each of your three meals (excluding snacks), you may still be consuming close to 75% of the AHA’s recommended daily limit of less than 2g. Do the math and it could add up to almost 547.5g of trans fat each year just from one “zero grams trans fat” product.
How to Avoid Trans Fats
Experts predict removing trans fats from all margarines will prevent more than 6,000 heart attacks yearly and that eliminating trans fat from just 3 percent of breads and cakes and 15 percent of cookies and crackers will help save as much as 59 billion dollars in health care costs in the next two decades.
New York has banned trans fat from being used in restaurants. Through the years, fast food chains have also gradually reduced the trans fat content in their menus. Developments like these should help curb the consumption of these harmful fats.
As a consumer, you can avoid trans fats by:
• Eliminating processed foods from your diet
• Avoiding fast foods, especially deep fried foods
• Using butter instead of margarine and vegetable oil spreads
• Using coconut oil or olive oil for cooking
• Learning how to read food labels properly. “Partially hydrogenated” and shortening are keywords for trans fat content.
Remember: not all types of fat are bad for your health. Knowing the difference between which types of fat to consume and which ones to avoid is one of the keys to good health.
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Tags: cholesterol, trans fat
