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Montefiore Nutritionist Explains How to Decode Trans Fat and Protect Your Heart

Food labels can be confusing, even for the most health-conscious consumer. You may have learned by now that trans fats are harmful to the body and the heart. Trans fats are man-made fats that are formed when (previously healthy) liquid oils are hydrogenated or hardened. This is often done to improve the texture of packaged foods and increase shelf life. They are commonly found in baked goods like cookies, muffins, crackers, cereals, and margarines as well as fried foods.

Lauren Graf, MS, RD, clinical dietitian at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, offers the following information to help you decode food labels and detect those unhealthy trans fats:

Research shows that trans fats, even in small quantities are worse for us than the old bad guy--saturated fats. Trans fats raise our LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower our HDL (good) cholesterol, and increase triglyceride levels in the blood. They also promote inflammation in the body, which can damage blood vessels--a quadruple whammy for the heart.

Now that federal regulations require all food companies to report the amount of trans fat on the label, many people are glancing at the nutrition facts to make sure they are steering clear of trans fat.

Seems So Simple. What's the Catch?

If you're relying on the "Nutrition Facts" part of the label to avoid trans fats, think again! Just because a product claims to have zero grams of trans fat, doesn't mean it's trans-fat free. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows companies to report "0" grams of trans fat if the product has less than 0.5 grams per serving. You may be eating several of these trans fat free foods each day, thinking they are healthy. Or you may be eating 2 or 3 times the serving size and getting a lot more trans fat than you realized.

How can you really tell if you're avoiding trans fat?

Look at the ingredient list. If you see the words partially hydrogenated oils, you can be sure there's trans fat. Partially hydrogenated oils are a code word for trans fat. Many foods claim "0" gram on the package but when you go to the trusty ingredient list, you'll notice partially hydrogenated oils are in there.

More Tips for Avoiding Trans Fat

•· Stock up on more natural, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, low-fat dairy and whole grains-- these foods never have trans fats so you don't even have to think about it.

•· Of course, always read the label for partially hydrogenated oils. This is particularly true when it comes to margarines or whipped creams. Some brands such as Smart Balance are trans-fat free, but read carefully.

•· If you have to choose between regular butter and trans fat-laden margarine, you're better off going with a small amount of good, old-fashioned butter. It is still a source of concentrated calories and fat though, so use sparingly.

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