3 of 6: Trans Fat - The Ugly Fat
Trans fat has been in the news quite often in the past few years. It seems as though it can’t be eliminated from the food supply fast enough. A small amount of Trans fat is found in the food supply naturally. However, in the 1960’s manufacturers began regularly using Trans fst to prolong product shelf life, improve texture (smooth or crunchy), and produce cheaper foods. A food that highlighted the benefits to manufacturers was the Twinkie! It is cheap, tasty and can sit on a shelf forever.
High amounts of synthetic Trans fat can embed themselves into our cell membranes producing negative health effects. Up to 20,000 cardiovascular related deaths occurred in 2004 as a result of Trans fat. To our body, Trans fat is like throwing a wrench in a smoothly running machine. It increases the risk of chronic disease by disrupting normal body function.
It does not take a lot of Trans fact to negatively impact our health. It only takes about 2 grams (about 2 small paperclips) of Trans fat to jam up your metabolic machinery
Tips to help you decrease Trans fat intake
Trans fat has been in the news quite often in the past few years. It seems as though it can’t be eliminated from the food supply fast enough. A small amount of Trans fat is found in the food supply naturally. However, in the 1960’s manufacturers began regularly using Trans fst to prolong product shelf life, improve texture (smooth or crunchy), and produce cheaper foods. A food that highlighted the benefits to manufacturers was the Twinkie! It is cheap, tasty and can sit on a shelf forever.
High amounts of synthetic Trans fat can embed themselves into our cell membranes producing negative health effects. Up to 20,000 cardiovascular related deaths occurred in 2004 as a result of Trans fat. To our body, Trans fat is like throwing a wrench in a smoothly running machine. It increases the risk of chronic disease by disrupting normal body function.
It does not take a lot of Trans fact to negatively impact our health. It only takes about 2 grams (about 2 small paperclips) of Trans fat to jam up your metabolic machinery
Tips to help you decrease Trans fat intake
- Read the label. Trans fat is always listed. The goal is less than 2 grams per day.
- Avoid the ingredient “partially hydrogenated” which is followed by a type of oil. There is a loophole to the labeling rule. If a product has less than 0.5 g of Trans fat per serving, it can be listed at 0 on the label. However, keep in mind that if you eat more than one serving or eat several products with low levels, it is very easy to over consume the amount of Trans fat recommended per day.
Despite efforts to eliminate trans fat, Trans fat is still ubiquitous in the food supply. It may even be lurking in places you never considered such as hard taco shells, fast/restaurant fried foods, margarine, crackers, non-dairy creamer powder, and bakery items.
Fun Fact: In 2005, McDonald's lost an $8.5 million lawsuit for failing to decrease trans fats in their products. $7 million was donated to the American Heart Association and $1.5 million was used to educate the public on the danger of trans fats.
Choosing whole, fresh, minimally processed foods is an easy way to avoid Trans fats all together.
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