Become A Food Label "Sleuth"

Montefiore Nutritionist Explains How to Uncover Hidden Trans Fats and Protect Your Heart

NEW YORK, March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Food labels can be confusing, even for the most health-conscious consumer. You may have learned by now that trans fats commonly found in margarines, fried foods, and baked goods are harmful to the body and the heart. Trans fats are formed when previously healthy liquid oils are hydrogenated, or hardened, a process often used to improve the texture of packaged foods and increase shelf life.  

According to Lauren Graf, MS, RD, clinical dietitian at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, "Research shows that trans fats, even in small quantities are worse for us than the old bad guy -- saturated fats.  They 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," Graf said.

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

Graf offers the following tips to help you decipher food labels accurately:

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 of this harmful fat than you realized.

Look at the ingredient list.  If you see the words partially hydrogenated oils, you can be sure there's trans fat.  Many foods claim "0" grams on the package, but when you go to the trusty ingredient list, you'll notice this code word for trans fats is 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. However, butter is still a source of concentrated calories and fat, so use it sparingly.  

SOURCE Montefiore Medical Center

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