We’ve heard that we can eat fat. But not all fats are created equal. The very worst of the fat family are trans fats. Why?  This is the problem:

Most trans fats are created through an industrial process during which hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, making it solid at room temperature.

Why do that? The reason is to lengthen a food’s shelf life. When a partially hydrogenated oil is used, it lasts longer. So if a restaurant uses this kind of oil in their deep fryers, it doesn’t need to be changed as often.

Once hydrogenated oil is made, it is used in dozens of products that are found on the shelves of our pantries and fridges.

But before I get to where you will find trans fats in the food you eat, let me first outline why it’s bad for you.

Too many trans fats will cause weight gain, particularly around the waist which is the most dangerous place to carry weight.

Trans fats cause an inflammation response in the body, which can result in a lot of health issues, the most documented being hardening of the arteries, causing heart disease and stroke. But there’s more. A study has been done on more than 18 000 participants over a seven year period. During this period 1500 of the participants died. Those who had diets highest in the amount of trans fats had a 25% increased risk of death than those who ate a diet with the least amount of trans fats. When examining the questionnaires of those who died, it was discovered that the participants who acquired 3.5 to 4% of their daily energy from trans fats, died as a result of a variety of diseases, including cancer, stroke and diabetes.

When it comes to trans fats, you want to eat as little as possible. They are found naturally in some meat and dairy products. Let that be your total consumption.

They are found artificially in dozens and dozens of foods that line supermarket shelves. Read labels and avoid all processed foods.

Here’s a list:

1. Anything with pastry – this is made with margarine which is a major culprit in the trans fat market – buying a pie from a fast food outlet, you are going to be consuming trans fats. Anything made with shortening, so that includes biscuits, crackers, mince pies, ready made dough, ready made icing.

2. Fried foods – any food that you buy that is fried will contain trans fats – french fries – fried chicken – fried fish. These foods are fried in oil high in trans fat.

3. Chips and their flavouring – all regular packaged chips contain trans fats, whether they be corn, tortilla or potato.

4. All frozen pastry or dough will contain trans fats, frozen pizza included.

5. Margarine is probably the biggest culprit- read labels to find out how much trans fat is in margarine – most margarines contain a whopping 15g of trans fat. You may have heard that margarine if bad for you.

Make the switch to butter today.

6. Coffee creamers – dry milk substitutes or artificial milk. These contain trans fats.

7. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Read the list of ingredients on the packaging of the food you buy. If it contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, know that it will have trans fats in it. Most restaurants will cook their food in vegetable oil.

Sources:

• http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-are-trans-fats-bad/#axzz3SjDbYtS4
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/trans-fat/art-20046114
• http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/04/study-reveals-broad-dangers-of-trans-fats/

Let the rule be that you eat the most natural food that you can lay your hands on. Make your own snacks by lightly stir-frying sweet potato skins in a little macadamia oil. Macadamia nut oil has a higher smoking point so you can fry without causing the oxidization process. Towards the end of cooking, when the skins are getting brown and crisp, toss in a few coconut shreds for a healthy filling snack. At least when you do this, you know what you are eating.

They’re very good!

2 Corinthians 6:12

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything

Healthy body and soul.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you!

In His Grip,

Helga xx