View this email in your browser

Quote of the day:

“By choosing healthy over skinny you are choosing self-love over self-judgement.”

– Steve Maraboli

Trans Fat

What is it?

Trans fat, the artificial type, is a type of fat that is formed through a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation involves adding hydrogen atoms to liquid vegetable oils, which results in the conversion of the oils into a semi-solid or solid form. This process increases the shelf life and stability of the oils, making them widely used in many processed and packaged foods.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented a regulation in 2015 to ban the use of partially hydrogenated oils by 2018 because of the proven harms, yet there are still trans fats lurking all over the grocery store.

The FDA mandates that trans fat must be indicated on nutrition labels if a serving contains over 0.5 grams. The loophole is that anything under 0.5 grams can be labeled as 0 grams of trans fat. This allows them to lower the serving size to make the trans fat under 0.5 grams and label it as “trans fat free”.

When reading labels look for any ingredients with the word “hydrogenated” in its name. Since it’s not well known hydrogenated fat and trans fat are the same thing, food makers can hide trans fat using this little trick.

Why does it matter?

There is a significant scientific evidence supporting the link between trans fats and various health problems. Here are the main reasons why trans fat is considered harmful:

• Increases LDL Cholesterol: Trans fat raises the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, commonly known as "bad" cholesterol, in the bloodstream. High levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

• Decreases HDL Cholesterol: Trans fat also lowers the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often referred to as "good" cholesterol. HDL cholesterol helps remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease. When the levels of HDL cholesterol decrease, the balance between good and bad cholesterol is disrupted.

• Promotes Inflammation: Consumption of trans fat has been linked to increased inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is associated with various health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

• Increases Heart Disease Risk: The combination of raising LDL cholesterol, lowering HDL cholesterol, and promoting inflammation makes trans fat a significant risk factor for heart disease.

• Linked to Other Health Issues: Besides heart disease, trans fat consumption has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and certain types of cancer, such as breast and colorectal cancer.

• Limited Nutritional Value: Trans fat provides no known health benefits and lacks nutritional value. It is often found in highly processed and packaged foods that are also typically high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy additives.

Due to these harmful effects, many health authorities and organizations recommend minimizing or eliminating trans fat from the diet to promote heart health and overall well-being.

How to remove from your life?

Given the highly proven research on the harms of trans fats and “ban” of them you should work on removing them from your life.

Some examples of foods you can still find trans fat:

• Jif Peanut butter

• Coffee Mate Creamer

• Keebler cookies

• Microwave popcorn

• Chex Mix

• Crisco's all-vegetable shortening

• Margarine

• Hotdogs

• Cool Whip

• Apple Jacks

• Pillsbury Crescents, pie crust, and most of their doughs

• Most boxed stuffing

• Sour Punch Bites

• Fried foods, including french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken (even if not using trans fats oils, trans fats can still form during the frying process)

Try and avoid processed and packaged foods. Trans fats are commonly found in processed and packaged foods like fried foods, frozen dinners, frozen pizza, baked goods, cake mixes, crackers, frozen sandwiches, biscuts, cookies, ice cream, snack foods, and margarine.

Be mindful of fast food and dining out. When eating out, choose restaurants that promote healthier cooking methods and ingredient choices. Opt for grilled, baked, or steamed options instead of fried foods.

To make more informed choices, it is recommended to read the ingredient list and look for partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), which are the primary source of artificial trans fats. Fortunately, with the FDA's ban on partially hydrogenated oils, the presence of artificial trans fats in food products has significantly decreased. However, because of the loophole, it's still important to read ingredient labels as trans fats are still present.

Copyright (C) Want to change how you receive these emails?You can update your preferences or unsubscribe