Did you know that regular consumption of food with excess trans fats can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a rise in bad cholesterol levels in your blood, and heart diseases? Do you choose to modify your diet and avoid trans fats? Here are some basic details of trans fats and foods that contain them.
A type of unsaturated fats called trans fats occur in trace amounts naturally in food but in large amounts in processed foods, baked goods, and fried foods. The trans fats that are not naturally occurring in food are artificial trans fats, that are dangerous to health if consumed regularly or in large amounts. Artificial trans fats are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them solid at room temperature. Such oils are called ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ and are a primary ingredient in processed foods.
Artificial trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils are found in commercial baked goods, frozen pizza, shortening, nondairy coffee creamer, stick margarine, french fries, cereal bars, crackers, snack pudding, microwave popcorn, and snack mixes. They are also used in deep fryers at many commercial food outlets. If you’re looking to avoid the consumption of trans fats for a healthier life, here are some tips:
- Read the nutrition label on food packages and avoid buying food that has partially hydrogenated fats/oils and shortening.
- Choose food products with the lowest amount of trans fats.
- Choose healthy oils for cooking.
- Avoid deep-fried foods when eating out. Instead choose grilled, steamed, or broiled food instead.
- When using margarine, choose soft, non-hydrogenated margarine instead of shortening or stick margarine.
- Choose home-cooked and unprocessed food.
- Limit commercially baked food.
A healthy and balanced diet with a reduced intake of food that’s not so nutritious helps you stay healthy and strong.
How do you manage to take care of your diet during a busy day? Do share your tips in the comments.
This Post Has 4 Comments
This is a valuable, educational post. I read an article some years ago about all the trans fat in processed food. I’d been using vegetable oil but switched to extra virgin olive oil. Over the years, we stopped buying baked goods, and boxed stuff like macaroni & cheese, and switched snacking to trail mixes. Last year, switched to a more Mediterranean diet. We are both retired so we have the time to make homemade bread, scones, and cakes. We’ve been sticking to fresh fruit and vegetables. We have the time to put a bag of beans into the Instapot. After making these changes, my bad cholesterol dropped from high to normal, blood pressure is now in the normal range, and I am off insulin and metformin because my diabetes 2 is practically non-existent. My A1C has been 4 for a long time. Thanks again for this article and wishing you a great day
You’re welcome!
I’m glad that you found this post valuable.
Your story of switching to healthier foods and regaining normal health is inspiring.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
This was so useful to read and is definitely an area I need to work on. I’ve made a lot of positive dietary changes over the last year but I am always looking to learn more about how I can improve this and feel the benefits of fueling my body with good, healthy food. Thanks for this!
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I’m glad that you found this post useful.
It’s so nice to know that you’re making positive dietary changes.