Before we proceed, let’s clarify just exactly what trans fats are. Trans fats are fats that are created when food manufacturers add hydrogen to unsaturated fats. It is found in margarine, shortening, and peanut butter, fried foods like french fries and fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, pastries, pie crusts, cake icings, and crackers. Food companies like to use trans fat because it extends the shelf life of products and enhances taste and texture.

Trans fat is known to increase LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol, while also lowering HDL (aka “good” cholesterol). It can also clog arteries and risk of heart disease and type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. In other words, this stuff is B-A-D!!

Tricky Food Labeling

The FDA has mandated that beginning January 1, 2006, all food labels must include trans fats. Some food companies are already starting to include it – especially when there are 0 trans fats in the product. This has become a big selling point as consumers become more and more aware of trans fats.

However, just because a product says “trans-free” or “0 grams of trans fat” doesn’t mean it really is trans-free! If a product has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, it is allowable to use the phrases “trans-free” and “0 grams trans fat” on the packaging. So that means if a serving of peanut butter has 0.49 grams of trans fat, and you eat two servings, you’ve eaten nearly 1 gram of trans fat. That might not seem like a big deal, but earlier this year an FDA advisory panel recommended a limit of 2 grams of trans fat a day. So you can see it would be quite easy to exceed that by eating these so called “trans free” foods!

Avoiding Trans Fats

It all comes down to checking the label. Just look for “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredients list. That’s the best way of knowing for sure if there are trans fats in your food.

Of course, all of this is easily avoided if you stick to fruits, vegetables, lean meats/fish/poultry, and whole grains!

Julia Kalish is a Certified Nutritionist and Health Coach, specializing in women’s nutrition. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Yale University. Julia is the founder and Director of Inner Voice Nutrition, LLC, and has trained at both the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and American Health Science University. Julia is certified by the National Institute for Nutritional Education and the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She is the expert Nutrition Coach for Unlimited Growth Potential, a national coaching firm for women. You may reach Julia at julia@innervoicenutrition.com, and visit her website at http://www.innervoicenutrition.com

The information in this article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.