Dietary fats are essential for your health as they give you energy and help your body absorb vitamins. However, trans fats or trans-fatty acids are a type of dietary fat that is unhealthy for your body. They lead to a cholesterol build-up, which is harmful to your cardiovascular health.

What you need to know:

How are trans fats harmful?

Foods that contain trans fats

Healthier trans-fat-free foods

How are trans fats harmful?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is insoluble in blood. Therefore, it requires a carrier protein in the form of lipoproteins. Trans fats are harmful as they increase your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol and lower your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol. LDL disposes of unnecessary cholesterol in the liver, whereas the bad cholesterol clogs and hardens the arteries, impairing the blood supply to your heart. High levels of LDL can lead to atherosclerosis or coronary heart diseases.

Consuming too many trans fats can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. They can lead to abdominal fat deposits and weight gain, increasing insulin resistance and obesity. Trans fats also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Foods that contain trans fats

Industrially produced trans fats add hydrogen to vegetable oil, converting liquid oils into solid fats, resulting in the formation of partially hydrogenated oil (PHO). PHO prolongs the shelf life of food products. Fried, processed, and fast and packaged foods contain trans fats. In addition, red meat and dairy products procured from animal foods also contain small amounts of trans fats.

Let us look at the food that contains trans fats.

Bread and crackers.
Cookies, biscuits, cakes, pies, donuts, muffins, and pastries.
Fried foods like french fries, fish sticks, mozzarella sticks, potatoes, and corn chips contain trans fats depending on the oil they are cooked in.
The canned frosting contains sugar, water, and oil.
Non-dairy creamer.
Saturated fats are also found in butter, lard, full-fat milk and yogurt, and high-fat meat.

Healthier trans-fat-free foods

You can opt for healthier trans-fat-free alternatives of food:

Use natural cooking oils like olive oil and sunflower oil instead of butter.
Include foods with unsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are found in nuts, peanut butter, chicken, pork, and beef. Polyunsaturated fats are found in walnuts, flax seeds, sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds. Omega-3 fatty acids also fall under this category and are found in fatty fish, such as herring, sardine, and salmon.
Eat more fruits, green leafy vegetables like soya bean and tofu, and unprocessed whole grains.
Avoid deep-fried foods. Instead, you can consume boiled, baked, grilled, steamed or broiled foods.
Choose lean meat and skinless poultry.

It is always advisable to read the labels before purchasing a food product. Choose products with the lowest grams of trans fats in the nutrition facts table given on every product label. Avoid foods made with hydrogenated oil or PHO. Instead, look for terms such as free of ‘trans-fatty acids’ or ‘lower in trans fats’.

Did you know you can measure your cholesterol levels on our online Total Cholesterol Calculator? To ensure that the test is accurate, avoid any strenuous physical activities, fast for at least 9-12 hours, and inform your doctor in advance about any prevailing medical conditions. Actively participate in the Activ Living community and get more information on lifestyle and fitness.