What Are Trans Fats and Why Should You Avoid Them?
Trans fats are found in processed food, fast food, shortening and stick margarines. Trans fats are used because they are an inexpensive way of extending shelf life as well as acquiring a preferred taste or texture.
When reviewing ingredients on a food package, trans fats are also known as “partially hydrogenated" oils. They are called partially hydrogenated oils because hydrogenation is when vegetable oil is taken and exposed to hydrogen.
Why are trans fats bad for your health? Trans fats can raise your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Trans fats affect your cholesterol by raising your LDL, “bad cholesterol”, and lowering your HDL, “good cholesterol”. High LDL and low HDL are a risk factor for heart disease, which is the number one killer in America.
Here are some ways to avoid trans fats. First, look at the nutrition label on the food product; does it say it has trans fats? Then look in the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oils. If the food product has less than a half-gram of trans fats, it may not be stated on the nutrition label, since numbers are rounded off. Also, look at the serving size: 1 gram of trans fats maybe for only a half a cup but if you are eating a double serving, you end up eating 2 grams of trans fats. If you have a whole foods diet and limit your intake of process foods this will naturally decrease your consumption of trans fats.
According to the American Heart Association, trans fats should not be more than 1 % of your daily calories. So if you’re on a 2,000 calorie diet you should not have more than 2 grams of trans fats in a day.
Published 06/10/09
