Many manufacturers started including transfats in their processed foods about 20 years ago to prolong their products’ shelf life, but public health experts warn that these kinds of fats clog arteries and cause obesity. By far the largest amount of transfat consumption today is created by the processed food industry (cookies, crackers, icing, potato chips, stick margarine, microwave popcorn to name a few).
Transfats are formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats by adding hydrogen in a process called hydrogenation. A common example of this is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is used for frying and baking and turns up in processed foods like cookies, pizza dough and crackers. Transfats, which are favored because of their long shelf life, are also found in pre-made blends like pancake and hot chocolate mix.
Unlike other dietary fats, transfats are not essential, and they do not promote good health. Transfats pose a higher risk of heart disease than saturated fats, which were once believed to be the worst kind of fats. While it is true that saturated fats — found in butter, cheese and beef, for example — raise total cholesterol levels, transfats go a step further. Transfats not only raise total cholesterol levels, they also deplete good cholesterol (HDL), which helps protect against heart disease. The consumption of transfats increases one’s risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of “bad” LDL(low density lipoprotein) cholesterol and lowering levels of “good” HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol. Health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of transfat be reduced to trace amounts.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring food labels to list transfats in January 2006. Transfats are listed under the Fat category of the Nutrition Facts panel. Many foods are now formulated to be transfat free. Naturally low fat foods are generally the best: fruits of all types, vegetables, chicken, turkey, fish, beans, whole grains, breads and some cereals. So carefully read the nutrional chart of the food products and say NO to transfats.
