Trans fat and where do We find them
Trans
fats are in most things that We eat, such as in fast food, baked goods i.e. (
pies, cakes turnovers, etc.) It is estimated that the average Canadian and
American citizen consumes 5.8 grams of trans fat daily.
The main focus
of my article is to provide clarity around what
trans fats are and where they came from, The word
trans is Latin meaning
“across” which scientifically means
trans
fat are made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil--a process
called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor
stability of foods containing these fats. So if you Were wondering why certain
foods have a longer shelf life, this is the reason!
What are
the health effects of Trans fat?
T
he scientists at the Institute of Medicine/National Academies’ have reported recently that trans fatty acid should be consumed as little as possible in your daily diet. Then problem with trans fatty acid is that it increases so-called bad cholesterol (low density Lipoprotein /LDL) and loWers the good cholesterol .Trans fatty acid will increase your chance for heard disease and stroke..
Steps to
minimize the amount of Trans fat in
your diet:
Here are some simple steps you can do to minimize the amount of trans-fat in your diet:
-
Read the label and
compare foods - This is not always as easy as you think as the current rules
may allow a manufacturer to label as 0g
trans fat on the label, when
there are actually up to 0.49g per serving (see below).
-
Switch to
monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. These fats are found in oils
(olive, canola, and others) and nuts. These fats not only do not raise LDL,
but have health benefits when consumed in moderation. Switch to vegetable
oils, I use olive oil when cooking and usually corn or sunfloWer oil for
everything else.
-
Many processed and ready
to prepare foods contain
trans fat, such as microwave
popcorn. If you use corn oil and a large pan on the stove, it tastes better
anyway...
Major
Food Sources Containing Trans Fats:
(Average
Daily Trans Fat Intake is 5.8 Grams or 2.6 Percent of Calories)
40%
Cakes,
cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc.
21%
Animal
products
17%
Margarine
8%
Fried potatoes
5%
Potato chips,
corn chips, popcorn
4%
Household
shortening
3%
Salad dressing
1%
Breakfast
cereal
1%
Candy
