How to Avoid Trans Fats

Trans fat are all the rage—health professional go into a rage at the mere mention of them. There’s a very good reason that trans fats are being singled out and here’s how to avoid them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A healthy diet

1. First, avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. This is just another term for trans fats—a form of fat in processed food that adds to shelf life. Partially hydrogenated is separate from straight hydrogenated vegetable oil. It has a different chemical make-up.
2. Avoid processed foods: cookies, crackers, chips, cake mix. Basically, if it tastes good, and it’s cheap, it likely contains trans fats.
3. Stay away from fast food. While McDonald’s and other chains are adopting a no-trans fat policy, this isn’t true across the board.
4. Some products are advertising, boldly: 0 Trans Fats on the label. Nutrition labels now list trans fats under the “Total Fat” listing, next to protein, fiber, calories, etc. Keep in mind that not all products are doing this yet.
5. Check dietary supplements, as they can contain trans fats as well.
6. When eating out at restaurants, ask about the trans fat content of the food.

Tips & Warnings

• Fat itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our bodies use fat for energy. Some fats have nutritional value: unsaturated fats. You should stay away from most saturated fats, which have little to no nutritional value, even in moderation. Eat foods with mono and poly-unsaturated fats instead of trans fats, low in saturated fat.
• It is likely impossible to delete trans fats entirely from your diet, as trans fatty acids can occur naturally as well—in meat and dairy products. The only way to cut out all trans fatty acids is to go vegan. Moderation is the key.
• Some vegetable oils and margarine can be high in trans fats as well.
• If a label says 0 trans fat, it still may contain trans fats in .5 grams or less.
• Trans fats are the worst fat to consume. The fat raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol.
• Trans fats lead to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.