Trans Fat- JUST SAY NO! Trans Fat # 1 Heart Offender!

Yes, this is me in a Shirt I bought :)

Many of you have heard of it, but i can bed a majority don't quite know what it is, and that's why I'm here! Trans fat, also known as trans fatty acids are made through the chemical process of hydrogenated oils. They are occasionally found in small quanities of some meats and dairy, but these do not have the negative health effects like those trans fats formed by the process of hydrogenation. Why hydrogenate? Well, it includes the shelf life and taste of many foods, but do you really think it's work the risk? I think not. It is even secretly hidden into many of your favorite snacks you think may be healthy, like wheat thins and many granola bars. If you look on the back of your foods, they may still say "0g trans fat", because the FDA doesn't require them to include it if there is under 0.5 g in a serving. So how do you tell if the foods you are eating contain trans fat? Look in the ingredients list, does it say "partially hydrogenated ________ oil", yup! That's trans fat. Don't be fooled by the "0g" trans fat in the nutrition label, look deeper, they are out to fool you with one of the most unhealthy and toxic things produced by the food industry. Other common things that contain trans fat include coffee creamers (powdered and liquid), cake frosting, vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and many others. There is currently a petition out there to ban trans fatty acids from all foods,and California was the first state this year to ban trans fatty acids in restaurants and fast-food chains state-wide.
This is a great website for all sorts of facts and insight to the world of trans-fats.
http://www.bantransfats.com/


http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11091
"Trans fats wreak havoc with the body's ability to regulate cholesterol. In the hierarchy of fats, the polyunsaturated fats which are found in vegetables are the good kind; they lower your cholesterol. Saturated fats have been condemned as the bad kind. But trans fats are far worse. They drive up the LDL ("bad") cholesterol. which markedly increases the risk of coronary artery heart disease and stroke. According to a recent study of some 80,000 women, for every 5% increase in the amount of saturated fat a woman consumes, her risk of heart disease increases by 17%. But only a 2% increase in trans fats will increase her risk of heart disease by 93%!"

Trans fats have been linked to 30,000 deaths in the United States each year, and millions of premature deaths nation-wide.

It has been deemed the largest dietary danger and without complaints and continuing the petition to the FDA, it won't be stopped. I am guilty of consuming it myself, I have been tricked by the "0 gram" label and have not read the ingredients in many of the so-called "healthy" foods i've eaten, but now being as heavily involved in nutrition as I am, I am conscious and aware of my dietary surroundings.

Read the labels carefully, and if you suspect you are eating something that isn't healthy for you, you are probably right. Food is like your friends, choose wisely, and it will benefit you in the long run. <3