Trans Fat 101

Have you ever wondered what trans fats are? What do we really know about them? We know that they are present in processed foods and we know that they are bad for us but what are they and why are they bad for us? I believe that if we can educate ourselves on trans fat we can help ourselves as well as teach our families to make wiser eating choices.

What are trans fats?

There are 3 types of fats?

1. Saturated Fat: This type of fat is solid or almost solid at room temperature. Some examples are animal fats and some vegetable oils like coconut. Saturated fats are considered to be unhealthy. Out of the two types of cholesterol in the human body, saturated fats make the body produce more LDL cholesterol (which is considered the bad cholesterol, as HDL is considered the good cholesterol).
2. Unsaturated Fat: This fat is usually liquid at room temperature. There are two types of unsaturated fats:
   • Polyunsaturated Fats: Oils such as corn, soybean, sunflower oil. Fish also contain polyunsaturated fats. These fats lower cholesterol over all, both the LDL and HDL.
   • Monounsaturated Fats: Oils such as vegetable oil, olive oil, canola and peanut oil. These oils lower the (bad) LDL cholesterol while they increase the (good) HDL cholesterol.
3. Trans Fats: These are man-made fats created by injecting hydrogen gas into oil until it is partially solidified. This process is called hydrogenation. When the process is stopped before the oil becomes fully saturated, it is referred to as partially hydrogenated. Trans fats decrease HDL and increase LDL cholesterol which is just the opposite of what we want to occur in our bodies.

Why Are Trans Fats Used?

In the 1940's, product manufacturers discovered they could improve the taste and texture of their products by using trans fats. It made crackers crispier, margarine softer and more spreadable, and pie crust flakier. They also discovered that it prolonged the shelf life of their products and proved to be more economical in the manufacturing process than the natural fats.

How Do Trans Fats Affect Me?

Research suggests that there is a direct correlation between diets high in trans fats and diseases like high cholesterol and heart disease.

Imagine pouring grease down your kitchen sink. If you did it consistently for a few days you would find that eventually your kitchen sink would clog and nothing would drain. Trans fats have this effect on the body. The arteries that feed your brain and your heart slowly clog, your blood circulation will decrease and this is when heart disease or high cholesterol develops.

List Of Ingredients

Always read the ingredients on the products you purchase. You may not see the word "trans fat" but if you see "hydrogenated" or partially hydrogenated canola, soybean, or cottonseed oil, you will know that the product has trans fats.

The order that the trans fat appears in the listing of the ingredients is also extremely important. According to the FDA, ingredients are listed in descending order of predominance according to weight. This means that the ingredients that weigh the most are listed first and those that weigh less are listed last.

If trans fat is listed within the first 3 or 4 ingredient, you would know that the product contains a higher amount of trans fat than if it were listed last.

Nutritional Fat Label:

Effective January 1st. 2006 the FDA required product manufactures to include the amount of trans fat on the nutritional fact label. Now consumers can be aware of the amount of trans fats that are in the products they are purchasing.

Tips on How to Reduce and Avoid Trans Fats:

• Know the foods that contain trans fats. Some are doughnuts, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, icing, microwave popcorn, pop tarts, muffins, and fried foods.
• In fast foods restaurants and eating establishments be forewarned that when they say "cooked in vegetable oil" they are not telling you if it is hydrogenated oil or not. Always ask to be sure.
• Whole foods and natural foods do not contain any trans fats. Eat more fish, lean meats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
• When grocery shopping, stay around the outside lanes of the grocery store. Process foods are found in the middle aisles of the store.
• Go through your cupboards and read the labels. Look for the products that list trans fats and try to come up with some healthier alternatives.
• Read the nutritional labels. The lower the combined saturated and trans fat gram number the better it is for you. Watch the cholesterol grams on the labels and pick foods with a lower gram weight in cholesterol. Compare brands before buying and select the healthiest one.
• Plan ahead when shopping. In order to reduce trans fats from your diet, it will take some planning. Rushing home from work tired and exhausted from a grilling day causes us to just pop something in the oven for dinner. Plan ahead on what you are going to prepare and this will help being independant on fast food.
• Trans fat is no doubt bad for you, but if you try to stop eating trans fats all in one day, you will fail miserably. Take it one day at a time. Try to make it healthier by making educated choices day by day.

As each day goes by you must fight the battle to become and/or be heathy. This is done one choice at a time. Stop wandering through your day and start making choices. The choice to cut down on trans fats is a great place to start.

Why not start today?

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