All about Trans Fat

Nutrition labels can be confusing and deciphering what the ingredients and different percentages mean is too much for most people. So the majority of the population does not read nutrition labels and buys products based on packaging or perception of the brand. One sneaky substance on the nutrition label is trans fat. 


Trans fat is made by adding hydrogen to oils and solidifying them. Trans fats are also known as hydrogenated oils, this is where the bulk of anyone's trans fat intake comes from (there are negligible amounts found in beef, pork, and a few others.)  This concoction was originally used to increase the shelf life of just a few products but is now in a large chunk of processed and fast foods. 


Trans fats are one of the most harmful chemicals that can be found in our food. Since the fat is man-made the body does not process it like it would healthy fat found in real food. The hydrogenated oil actually lowers our HDL cholesterol (the healthy kind) and raises our LDL cholesterol (the bad kind.) This artificial additive has been shown to increase risk of heart disease by about 50%, when a study was conducted comparing those who consumed a large amount of trans fat versus those who did not. It has also been strongly linked to the development of diabetes. 


One would assume that something like this would have to be clearly labeled and regulated by the FDA, right? Well, not really. The FDA allows companies to label food that contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving to be labeled as "zero trans fat."


This may not seem like a lot, but you have to keep in mind that the recommended daily intake of trans fat is only 1.11 grams. Now, if a product has 0.49 grams of trans fat it can be labeled as "zero trans fat," but if you were to consume just three products unknowingly throughout the day you would already have surpassed the recommended daily intake. And increasing your trans fat intake to just 2-4.67 grams a day instead of the recommended 1.11 increases your risk of heart disease by thirty percent.


Many companies are now moving away from using trans fats in their products at all, but we still have to be careful about what we buy and consume. Voting with your dollars is the only way these companies will really change their practices. 


To try and avoid trans fats it is essential that you read your labels when choosing products. If a product lists "partially hydrogenated oil" as an ingredient, it should be completely avoided. There are other products and other healthy fats on the market that should be able to take the place of that product.