Lower Your Trans Fat Consumption

Unsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fats. There are so many different types of fats that it’s hard to keep them straight sometimes. However, trans fat is one you should take note of – and try to cut out of your diet.

Trans fats are unsaturated (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated) fats with a specific molecular configuration: the trans-isomer fatty acid. Trans fats are NOT an integral part of your diet; in fact, they can cause many severe health problems. Unfortunately, since so much of the food available today is processed, trans fat is a common element in many foods that we eat. When manufacturers partially hydrogenate foods, trans fat is added because it changes the molecular configuration from ‘cis’ to ‘trans.’ Basically, the fatty acid chain starts out in the typical kinked configuration, but when the hydrogenation process is completed, the hydrogen atoms bond to the already double-bonded carbon atoms, straightening the chain. Straighter chains are typically the configuration of full, saturated fats – not good for you!

Trans fats actually decrease good cholesterol (HDL) levels and increase bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in your body. This puts you at heightened risk for coronary heart disease, which affects over 12 million people and kills half a million Americans per year.

The average American consumes nearly 6 grams of trans fat per day. But according to experts, a healthy diet should include either no trans fat or only trace amounts. The main culprits include processed snack foods like potato chips, French fries, candy, and cookies, but trans fat can also be found in salad dressings, animal products, bread, shortening, and breakfast cereal.

“Ban Trans Fats” is a new initiative that seeks to inform the public about trans fats through high-profile awareness information and litigation. After a successful lawsuit against Oreos, Kraft removed trans fats from Oreos and over 600 other products. Tiburon, California has become America’s “first trans fat-free city” and the push is to get other cities to follow suit.

In order to decrease your trans fat intake to meet the little to none recommendation, check the labels. Since 2006, manufacturers have been required to put their trans fat content on nutrition labels. When dining out, ask what types of fat are used to prepare your meal. It’s better to know what you are eating now, before you put yourself at a high risk for coronary heart disease and its myriad of associated health problems.