The Dangers of Trans Fat

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Health experts, the American Heart Association and virtually every health authority wants us to cut down on trans fatty acids. The creation of trans fat occurs when liquid oils solidify by partial hydrogenation, a process that stretches food shelf life and changes "safe" unsaturated fat into dangerous fat. Trans fats are concentrated in margarine, solid vegetable shortening, doughnuts, crackers, cookies, chips, cakes, pies, some breads and foods fried in hydrogenated fat (chicken, fish, potatoes).

Experts blame trans fats for at least 30,000 premature deaths a year. Experts now say trans fats are "the biggest food-processing disaster in U.S. history".

Several decades of research show consumption of trans fatty acids promotes heart disease, cancer, diabetes, immune dysfunction, and obesity and reproductive problems. If Americans can detect the danger in food labels, they would cut back on trans fats, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA wants new food labels to reveal trans fats, contending such labels would save lives by forcing food manufacturers to eliminate trans fats. We are new seeing this movement take place, so no excuses for not knowing if there are trans fats in the foods you're purchasing at the supermarket!

Just removing trans fatty acids from all margarine's (70 percent now are high in trans fats) would prevent 6,300 heart attacks a year. In addition, eliminating trans fats in just 3% of breads and cakes and 15 percent of cookies and crackers would save up to 59-billion dollars in health care costs in the next 20 years, predicts the FDA.

Trans fats increase bad LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin levels and reduce beneficial HDL cholesterol, promoting heart attacks. The special villain is margarine. It accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of all trans fat consumed. In fact, trans-fat rich margarine is twice as bad as butter. Butter's saturated fat raises bad LDL, but margarine's trans fat boost LDL and depresses good HDL cholesterol, doubling the damage. Substituting very low trans fat margarine for butter reduces bad LDL cholesterol 11 percent, but is not as effective for obese people. In diabetics, trans fats appear to reduce the ability of the body to handle blood sugar by lowering responses to the hormone insulin, this is particularly dangerous to diabetics.

The best diet strategy is not to lower total fat, but to severely restrict saturated fats (animal fats from meat and dairy) and to get near zero intake of trans fats. Some Americans eat 30 to 40 grams of trans fat daily.

Where Trans Fats Lurk: - Here's where artificial trans are found, based on Food and Drug Administration data:*

51% in baked goods (breads, cakes, cookies, crackers, pies)
22% in margarines
10% in fried potatoes
6% in potato chips, corn chips
5% in shortening
4% in salad dressing
1% in breakfast cereals

*Total is not 100% due to rounding

To Avoid Trans Fats:

Use olive oil for all cooking.
Use trans fat-free margarine - soft tub or liquid margarine instead of hard stick margarine.
Generally, the softer the better and liquid is better yet. A tablespoon of stick margarine has about 1.9 grams of trans fat; a tablespoon of regular tub margarine, 0.8 grams. Check the label for trans-free brands. All Promise margarine is trans fat-free as are Fleishmann's in tubs. By government standards, trans-fat means less than 0.5 grams per serving.
When eating out, avoid deep fried foods! A batter-dipped whole fried onion -- an appetizer popular at steak houses -- has 18 grams of trans fats, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Other trans fat horrors: cheese fries, onion rings, fried seafood and fried chicken and fish.
Restrict foods made with "partially hydrogenated" oils as noted on labels. The higher those words appear in the ingredient list, the more trans fat. Half the fat of a cookie may be trans fat. A doughnut contains four to nine grams of trans fat. If a label does not list trans fat, add up what is listed (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated) and subtract from the total fat grams. The difference is trans fat. Also, be sure your food is low in saturated fat, a partner that brings on heart disease.

Here is a trans fat-free recipe:

Fiesta Seafood Casserole
2 tablespoons olive oil
Three large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
One medium yellow onion, chopped
One medium green pepper, diced
Two, 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with garlic and onions
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
16 ounces (2 cups) bottled clam juice (or dry white wine)
2 cups instant brown rice
1-1/2 cup diced smoked turkey
12 uncooked jumbo shrimp, shelled, veins removed, tails on (about ¾-pound)
1/2 pound of sea scallops, each cut in half
One, 10-ounce package frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
12 mussels in shells
Two canned, roasted red peppers, cut in 5-by-1-inch strips

In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onion and pepper. Saute until soft. Transfer to a very large, shallow casserole dish. Stir in tomatoes, thyme, rice, turkey, shrimp, scallops, peas, salt and pepper. Decorate top with mussels (push hinged side down into mixture slightly) and red pepper. Bake uncovered in 375-degree oven, 30 minutes. Let sit ten minutes, covered, before serving. Recipe serves six.
Printable version of the recipe

It's Your Health!

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