How To Know Trans Fat Content Of Food
Christopher Wen

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Defined Tag: Trans Fat Content.

Despite the media attention to trans fat and the harmful things it can do to our bodies, many of us have a vague idea of what trans fat is really all about. Probably, there are also a number of people who may be aware that trans fat is not good for the body but are not conscious of the trans fat content of the common food that we have grown to love, such as fried chicken, burgers and donuts, to name a few.

Definition of Trans Fat

About a century ago, scientists have discovered that infusing hydrogen into liquid oil, usually unsaturated oil, will produce a solid mass of lard that is helpful in preserving food much longer. This hydrogenated oil, which is a cheaper alternative to animal fat and vegetable oil, is what we call the trans fat. Margarines, shortening and lard are just some examples of trans fat that are used in everyday food preparation that many people have gotten accustomed to for all these years.

Trans fat also rose to fame as an alternative to saturated animal fats, which were then viewed as bad for the body. Now, it seems that trans fat is far worse than that which it was designed to replace.

Connection Between Trans Fat And Heart Ailments

Several studies have showed that high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood increases a person's risk of developing serious coronary problems, such as strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. However, only recently have scientists confirmed that one of the major culprits for increasing bad cholesterol levels in the body is the trans fat. Furthermore, trans fat does not only elevate levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, but is also lowers the level of good cholesterol.

Tips on how to know if your food contains trans fat

Read the labels

Because of the very alarming results of studies involving trans fat, government agencies have now demanded that every food item in grocery shelves should contain nutritional labels, which shows not only the ingredients of the food but also the percentage of trans fat, sodium, sugar, protein, carbohydrates, etc it contain per serving.

Thus, your first line of defense against the rise of trans fat content in your blood is by carefully reading the labels of food that you place inside your shopping cart. Look at the fat content of the food and stay away from those that contain trans fat or even saturated fat.

Furthermore, you need to be on the lookout for ingredients such as shortening and hydrogenated oil. Not all food with zero trans fat label really does not have traces of trans fat. Food companies are not required to disclose trans fat content if it is less than .5 milligrams per serving. However, if we talk about one cracker or one teaspoon per serving, then eating four or seven crackers a day could already give you an accumulation of 3.5 mg of trans fat just for eating crackers.

Inquire about ingredients of food served in restaurants

If you are eating out, there is a big chance that you no longer have control over the trans fat content of the food that is served to you. Although use of trans fat in restaurants has been banned in some states, such as New York, you still cannot be sure unless you ask your server what type of oil has been used in your fried chicken or pastry. Do not be afraid to ask what is in your food because it is your right. Just be sure to ask politely.

Christopher Wen is the webmaster for green Health Eating where he provides articles, news, and healthy info on health food, low carb meals, vegetarian diet, raw food, organic food, low fat cooking, recipes, and more.

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