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Trans Fat Free
Dear Heather:
I was looking at a food package the other day and it said “Trans Fat Free”. Can you please explain what trans fats are and what other foods have them?
Thank you,
Terry R., Maryland
Dear Terry:
Trans fatty acids (trans fat) are an EXTREMELY unhealthy type of fat that is formed when manufacturers hydrogenate vegetable oils to give their products flavor stability or increase the shelf life. The most common foods that contain trans fat are: baked goods, doughnuts, cookies, pastries, crackers, and fried foods. Unfortunately studies show that no level of trans fat is safe (even 2 grams may be harmful!), so health professionals are recommending that you completely omit them from your diet.
It may not be easy to remove trans fat from your diet , but it’s worth it because even small levels of trans fat have been shown to increase LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and decrease HDL (“good cholesterol”). For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration is requiring that all manufacturers include trans fat on food labels effective January 2006. Food companies have been forced to adjust the recipes of some popular snack foods (Oreos, Fritos, Triscuits, etc…) to remove the trans fat.
How much Trans Fat is in your diet? See for yourself!
Microwave Popcorn = 2.2 gm
French Fries (fast food) = 0.7 – 3.6 gm
Doughnut = 0.3 – 3.8 gm
Pound Cake = 4.3 gm
Vanilla Wafers = 1.3 gm
Tortilla Chips = 1.2 gm
Margarine = 1.8 – 3.5 gm
Vegetable Shortening = 1.4 – 4.2 gm
The great thing is that most of these foods can be manufactured without trans fat so look for the trans fat-free version they next time you visit the grocery store!
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Heather Campanile, RD
November 14, 2005 in Weight Loss Q&A | Permalink
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Comments
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It is really easy to stop eating trans fats at home-just be more careful about what you buy.
The choices are getting better and there are so many good products that are trans fat free.
The biggest problem is eating out at restaurants-what are they cooking with-all we need to do is ask if the oil is partially hydrogenated.
Posted by: Rosa | Nov 28, 2006 1:53:44 PM