Blamed as a key dietary culprit in causing heart disease, trans fats are getting kicked all the way to the curb. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposed plan to remove artificial trans fats from the list of additives “generally recognized as safe” means food manufacturers and restaurants will have to ramp up efforts to take trans fats completely off the menu.
Artificial trans fats are created when vegetable oils are hydrogenated to make solid fats such as stick margarine or commercial cake frosting. They’re found in frying oils, coffee creamers, baked goods, microwave popcorn and tortilla chips.
The trouble with trans fats is that while they increase the shelf life and palatability of many foods, they decrease the shelf life of people who eat them. In a double whammy dietary hit, trans fats cause bad cholesterol levels (LDL) to rise and good cholesterol levels (HDL) to fall.
“Scientific evidence has shown us that consumption of artificial trans fats through processed foods is a direct contributor to coronary heart disease, which often results in stroke and heart attack,” says registered dietitian Dr. Glenna McCollum, president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Get the trans fat out
Many restaurants and food manufacturers have already reformulated products to be trans fat-free. “In addition, many restaurants provide nutrition information, including trans fat, via their websites,” says registered dietitian Joy Dubost of the National Restaurant Association.
The FDA’s trans fat proposal is in a 60-day public comment period. According to the FDA, since trans fat was added to Nutrition Facts labels in 2006, intake among Americans has declined from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to about 1 gram per day in 2012. But what about dining out where there’s no nutrition information?
“Unfortunately, when we dine in restaurants, it’s not realistic to go into the kitchen and read ingredients labels to search for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats,” says registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix.
Atlanta registered dietitian Marisa Moore, who is spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, offers this smart advice: “Opt for healthier options like roasted vegetables instead of fries, for example. And be mindful of foods that we tend to forget are fried like sesame or sweet and sour chicken Chinese takeout. Opt instead for the chicken and broccoli.”
She adds, “Truthfully, many of the foods that may have trans fats — fried foods, cakes, pies and yes, biscuits — are not very healthy to start; so aim to eat them less often.”
But registered dietitian Kathleen Zelman, director of nutrition for Web MD, warns, “Trans fats are being replaced with saturated fats like palm and palm kernel oil that help maintain the texture in some products like cookies. These saturated fats need to be limited to 7-10 percent of calories but are considered a better choice than trans fats.”
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