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Trans Fat Facts
By Dr. Narinder Saini M.D.
Currently, it is estimated that trans fatty
acids make up about 2.6% of total calories in the
American diet. About 80% of trans fats are formed
during food processing. For example, margarine starts
out as a liquid oil; then undergoes a process known
as hydrogenation, which enables it to become solid.
During the hydrogenation process, the trans fats
are formed. (This is why margarine is not necessarily
"better than butter"). Oils are hydrogenated
to allow for deep frying of foods at high temperatures
for long periods of time.
Some trans fats are naturally occurring, and are
found in dairy, beef, and lamb products, however
these specific trans fats are not included under
the FDA's definition of trans for labeling purposes
Tips to Avoid Trans Fats
· To determine if a food is high in trans
from its food label, look directly underneath the
line for saturated fat . If trans is not listed,
then look for the words "partially hydrogenated
oil" or "hydrogenated oil" in the
ingredient list. If these words appear high on the
ingredient list, and the food is high in total fat,
you can count on the food being high in trans.
· Limit pastries, cookies and doughnuts-
in addition to being high in trans, they are high
in calories; not a good thing if we're trying to
maintain a healthy body weight.
· Avoid fried foods. They are often cooked
in oil that contains a large amount of trans fatty
acids. French fries contain the highest amounts
(up to 7g of trans per serving).
· Look for trans free margarines. Smart Beat,
Promise, and Fleischmann's all have trans-free varieties
Go for trans free snacks. Fruit and nuts are obvious
choices, but you can find pretzels without trans
fats (such as Rold Gold's Honey Wheat Braided Twists);
additionally Frito Lay is eliminating trans fats
from its chips-Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos--so
we can look forward to that!
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