Why Trans Fats Are So Dangerous - Foods to Avoid

Trans fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation. Because trans fats are more solid than oil, they are less likely to spoil, helping foods stay fresh longer and increasing the shelf life.

When trans fats were first discovered, they were known to be a healthy alternative to animal fats because they are unsaturated and derived from plant oils. In '90s, a surprising discovery was made: Trans fats proved to increase LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and decrease HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), thereby increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, heart attack and possibly Type 2 Diabetes.

Trans fats have been found to be dangerous for the following reasons:

• Increases bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases good cholesterol (HDL). Trans Fat increases the level of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and more importantly reduces the level of HDL (good cholesterol), thus increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Increases triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. A high triglyceride level may cause hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.
• Causes more inflammation. Trans fat may increase inflammation. It's thought that inflammation plays a role in the formation of fatty blockages in heart blood vessels. Trans fat appears to damage the cells lining blood vessels, leading to inflammation.
• Promotes heart disease, cancer, diabetes, immune dysfunction, obesity and reproductive problems.

Foods to Avoid That Are High in Trans Fat:

• Commercially packaged foods like crackers, cookies & chips
• French fries
• Donuts
• Microwave popcorn
• Vegetable shortening
• Hard stick margarine
• Partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils
• Hydrogenated vegetable oils

How do you know whether food contains trans fat?

Since January 2006, all packaged food products have to list trans fat content on the Nutrition Facts label. The amount of trans fats per serving appears in the Total Fat section.

To know whether a food contains trans fat, look for the words partially hydrogenated. That's another term for trans fat. Also, shortening contains some trans fat.

It is good to know that fully hydrogenated oil does not contain trans fat. However, if the label says just "hydrogenated" vegetable oil, that usually means the oil contains trans fat.

The best way to avoid trans fats is to use liquid forms - sprays and tubs - of oils, butters, and margarines. Use olive oil and Canola oil if cooking requires oil, as they cause the least amount of problems with cholesterol. Stay away from coconut oil, which is very high in saturated and trans fats.

Cities, States & Corporations Banning Trans Fats

In December 2006, New York City passed a regulation banning trans fat. In February 2007, Philadelphia copied New York City and banned trans fat. Another trans fat-free zone is being formed in Boston. The whole state of California is working on the same type of ban.

McDonalds, Wendy's, Quizno's, KFC, Ruby Tuesday, Kraft Foods, Girl Scouts and organizations are eliminating trans fats from their food.