Nutrition In The News



One nutrition topic in the news this week was trans fats. 
Trans Fats
In the news because the federal government is pressing towards banning all trans fats in our food supply.
What are Trans Fats?  This fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil which makes it a more solid fat.   But by making the fat more solid, they create a fat that is bad for our health. 
Why Are Trans Fats Bad for Your Health?
Trans fats are known as the “bad” fats.  Actually, the worst of the fats as they have been linked to heart disease, stroke and developing type 2 diabetes.  In an article by the Associated Press, (No More Trans Fat:  FDA Banning the Artery Clogger) they called them “heart clogging trans fats”.   Good description as these fats have been linked to heart disease because they not only aise your “bad” cholesterol (LDL –cholesterol), but also lower your good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol)  and thus increase your risk of heart disease.  Many people have heard saturated fats were linked to heart disease, but didn’t know  trans fats are even worse for your health. 
Why are trans fats in foods? 
Food manufacturers like to use trans fats to improve shelf life, flavor and the texture of foods.  You will find trans fats in processed foods and some restaurant foods.  Baked goods, pie crusts, biscuits, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, stick margarine, shortening.  ready to eat cereals and frosting are foods that can contain trans fats.
How to Avoid Trans Fats:
·         Look for “0” trans fats on the label. 
·         Look for partially hydrogenated  oils in the ingredient list which is  another name for trans fats.   Since 2006, food labels list trans fats so you can avoid them by looking for “0” trans fats. 
There are some naturally occurring trans fats in meats and dairy products, but in small amounts so these aren’t considered such a threat to our health.
Why is the government asking manufacturers to dump the trans fats?  To save lives.  They estimate by getting trans fats out of the food supply,20,000 heart attacks could be prevented and 7,000 lives saved.  Some places have taken a step to ban these fats.  Bloomberg banned the use of trans fats in New York City.  Companies like Walmart are voluntarily getting trans fats out of the foods in their stores and hope to sell trans fat free foods by 2016. 
So far some of these reductions in the use of trans fats has been beneficial.  As a whole, Americans are eating less trans fats, declining from 4.6 grams in 2003 to 1 gram per day in 2012.  Which is good as the American Heart Association recommends we limit trans fats to less than 2 grams a day.
Sources , Image Source (http://pickyeaterblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/2uji2bvfzgm11j55a14fuzyz-transfat.jpg)
No More Trans Fat:  FDA Banning the Artery Clogger
Trans Fats

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stay Hydrated This Summer

Image
At long last, SUMMER!!    With the heat and humidity, we need to focus on staying hydrated.   Water is always a good choice for hydration.    MSN has an interesting article on  5 Easy Ways to Stay Hydrated This Summer .   Stay away from the sugar sweetened beverages loaded with sugar and calories.   Yes, enjoying some lemonade is fun but it is not a juice and it is loaded with added sugar.    What are some ways to stay hydrated?   How do you know you need hydration?   Thirst is the first sign of becoming dehydrated.   Your body is telling you to drink more fluids.   Eight cups is a good goal but you may need even more when exercising outside or being outside in the heat. Unsweetened Coffee – most people think coffee dehydrates you, but coffee is a fluid and can count towards your daily fluid intake.   And coffee can help you feel more alert and keep you energized.     Unsweetened Ice Tea – ic...
Read more

Get Ready for New Food Labels!

This week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced proposed changes in our food labels.    Major changes in the food labels appearing on everything from chips to soup haven’t changed much in 20 years.   So what are some of the proposed changes? Serving sizes – ever look at the serving size on ice cream.   It states one half cup is the serving size, yet who eats only one half cup?   In teaching my nutrition class, I show a video in which the dietitian notes the one half cup serving size on ice cream.   The students are always surprised it is so low.   When I told my husband, he insisted that one half cup was too low and went to the freezer to prove it.   Of course, the ice cream container verified that one half cup is the serving.   So one of the proposed food label changes is to increase the serving size on foods such as ice cream to reflect what people actually eat.   Thus, for ice cream the serving size will increase fro...
Read more

Easy food habits to adopt for a healthier you in 2023.

Image
So many people develop New Year’s Resolutions focusing on giving up things or on losing weight.   Why not focus on adopting some healthier habits in 2023 and some healthier lifestyle changes?   Last year I discussed some recommendation by a   nutritionist in London, Kate Llewellyn-Waters, on how you can adopt a healthier lifestyle.   Below are some of her easy-to- adopt suggestions and I have added some suggestions of my own. Protein at every meal – Protein is filling and helps stave off those hunger pains between meals.   What are some high quality protein foods?   All animal foods provide high quality protein.   Focus on lean proteins like chicken breasts.   Chicken and other lean meats, provide not only high-quality protein but also many nutrients like iron, zinc, selenium and many B vitamins.   B vitamins are known as the energy vitamins as they help your body produce the energy needed for all your activities.   A top-rated pro...
Read more