So, you’ve heard that trans fat is bad for you, and you have made it a point to purchase only foods that contain no trans fat. Perhaps you look for bold print on the front of a food package that exclaims “0 grams of trans fat per serving”. Maybe you even look at the nutrition label because you are an educated, health conscious shopper. But, even with your diligence, you may still be purchasing foods containing trans fat and not even know it! To explain why, lets explore a very brief history of trans fat, and then I’ll show you how to REALLY tell if you are purchasing trans fat free foods.
Trans fat is produced by using a process called hydrogenation. In effect, an unsaturated fatty acid which has a crooked molecular shape is straightened out in this process. The resulting molecule takes on some of the characteristics of saturated fat, which is also a straight molecule. Because these straight molecules arrange neatly around each other, they can be solid at room temperature. In the early days of trans fat production, it was thought that trans fat was healthier than saturated fat because it was derived from an unsaturated fat, which is a healthy part of our diet. This, coupled with it’s low cost, it’s solid texture, and it’s long shelf life made it appealing to food manufacturers.
It wasn’t until recent years when the detrimental health effects of trans fat became more apparent, even leading to their ban in some communities. Trans fat has been shown to reduce levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, while raising levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Further, trans fat has been suggested to have adverse effects regarding type 2 diabetes, obesity, infertility, liver problems, and more. While scientists are still exploring the negative health effects of trans fat, it can be clear that it is not only unnecessary in our diets, but quite dangerous.
Ok, so you know all of this and like I said, you are a smart shopper. So, why do I suggest you are still consuming trans fat? I suggest this because of a FDA regulation that allows foods to be labeled as 0 grams of trans fat if there is less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving of said food. Don’t just take my word on it, you can read the regulation for yourself at the FDA website. Here’s a link: http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/2003d-0347-gdl0001.pdf Read item number 5 on page 5 for the skinny.
So, what you really need to be looking out for is the ingredients list. If you see the words “partially hydrogenated” oil, you can be certain there is at least a small amount of trans fat in the food. Now look at the serving size and be honest with yourself about how much you really consume. You may find you are eating more trans fat than you are comfortable with.
So what’s a good way to avoid trans fat? One of the best ways is to not buy prepared foods, or baked goods. The common advice to keep your grocery shopping to the perimeter of the supermarket and out of the aisles is a good one. But, if you do get your craving for cookies, and absolutely can’t bake them yourself, you are now truly be empowered to interpret the packaging.
Eat safe, live dangerously!
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