How to Remove Trans Fats From a Dinner

Now that trans fats have been identified as the cause for many health issues, such as heart disease and obesity, many people are trying to find ways to cut them from their diets. Although it takes a little time and study, removing trans fat from dinner is something that everyone can and should do.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Dining Out

1. Stay away from the appetizers. There are very few if any appetizers on any given menu that aren't deep fried. Although restaurants sometimes fry in non-animal fat oils, the fat content is still too high, so appetizers should be avoided. Anyway, there isn't a way to be sure what fat is being used to deep fry in, so stay away from fried foods, period.

2. Avoid the cheese and cream-based sauces. Dairy products contain a small amount of trans fats, and in the huge restaurant helpings, a little goes a long way. Stay away from any cream or white sauces, and dishes that contain cheese as more than a garnish.

3. Order something other than pastry for dessert. Chefs make the best, and flakiest crusts out of butter and shortening--two trans fat-rich products. After dinner, if dessert if a must, order a sorbet or fruit-based dish; stay away from the pastry.

4. Order fish or chicken, and leave the steak in the kitchen. Big restaurant sized portions of steak are often cooked or come smothered in sauce and cheese. The sizzling juices on the big steak are the sounds of the solid fat turning into oil, which is how trans fats are produced. That New York strip is a trans fat factory, and should be left in the cooler and not on your plate.

At home

5. Bake, don't fry. Removing fried foods from your home menu is the best way to eliminate trans fats from your diet. If you must fry, use a trans fat free oil, such as canola oil.

6. Go easy on the butter and cheese. Just as in dining out, cooking at home with dairy products can add trans fats to a dish. Eliminate the butter altogether or use a trans fat free substitute. With cheese and milk, use a fat free version.

7. Eliminate anything that lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list. These oils are the culprits in most foods that add trans fat to what would otherwise be a healthy dinner.

8. Cook from scratch as much as possible. When making your own meals, you can manage the amount of trans fats that go into the dish. Processed foods have trans fats lurking behind other ingredients that would otherwise be perfectly healthy. Make your own with ingredients that are trans fat free, and be sure that your meals actually are just that.

Tips & Warnings

• Do some research before you dine out. Some restaurant chains offer nutritional information for some of their more popular dishes, so that you can see what you are getting before you are even seated at your table.
• The FDA allows companies to use the zero trans fat designation for foods that are .5 grams of trans fat or less, so check the ingredient list even for foods that declare themselves trans fat free. They just might be hiding trans fat oils in a level that is low enough to sneak under the radar.

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