Fats: The "UGLY"!

Well, we have finally reached what another nutrition blogger calls the Darth Vadar of Fats - not the Good (MUFAs and omega-3's ), not the merely Bad ( saturated fats), but the truly UGLY: the trans fatty acids - or trans-fat.

Trans fats usually start out as a relatively decent unsaturated or poly unsaturated fat like sunflower or soybean oil, then undergo a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation turns a simple fat into something akin to a super-saturated fat product - one that has no nutritional value, and no use for our bodies - unlike all the other fats. It does two things very well, though: makes us fat and hardens and clogs our arteries.

What are common trans-fats? Think Crisco.....it is basically trans-fat personified.....partially hydrogenated cottonseed (and other) oils. Many margarines are loaded with trans fat. So are many packaged snack foods, fast foods, and fried foods, and convenience foods like boxed macaroni and cheese.  Even simple snack crackers we buy in vending machines and feed our kids may be loaded with trans-fats. 

How can you tell if a food has a trans-fat in it? You have to look at the label on your food product:

I hope  you are noticing there that along with the trans fat, this food would also include saturated fat too. That's usually the case.

The National Academy of Science (NAS) which advises our government and the public about nutritional requirements states that "trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefit to human health", and further, that as trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol  (bad cholesterol), trans fats also lower levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol); thus increasing the risk of coronary heart disease".

Trans- fats are so bad for us that the recommended allowable amount in our daily diet is less than 2 grams!The NAS actually has said there is no safe level at all.

Processed foods abound in trans-fat!  What is a processed food? Well, one kind of processed food is something that doesn't grow in a garden or occur in nature ( again, think Crisco, margarine, TWINKIES!).Now here is the tricky part -- and the reason why we HAVE to become super-sleuths as label-readers-- trans fats are everywhere and packaging cannot always be trusted!

Thanks to the NAS and other regulatory agencies, food processors now have to disclose the amount of trans fat on every label. But here is the little glitch in the system: if the amount of trans fat is .5% or less per serving, they don't really have to list it.....so you have to read further down on your label to see if the words "partially hydrogenated" are in the ingredients!

So no matter what the front of the package says...even if it says "low-fat" or "fat-free" or "no trans-fat"....if the ingredients say partially hydrogenated, you'll be getting the worst of the worst in the world of fats: trans-fat!

Tomorrow: more on avoiding this superfat!