Health & Fitness Blog

Last time we were discussing types of fats, why they’re good, why they’re bad, and why we need them. We looked at the different types of fat – the good fats and the bad fats.

That was a lot of information, so we stopped with a promise to come back and talk about the Trans Fats, or trans fatty acids.

What do you spread on your bread ?

Trans fatty acids, also called hydrogenated oils, are man-made processed fats.   The good thing about them is that they keep the fats solid at room temperature, and yet still easy to spread.  You know how butter out of the fridge is hard, and tears up your bread when you try to spread it ?  Well, margarine is just so smooth to spread on your bread, straight out of the fridge, and that’s what the trans fats do. But they come at a price.  So, please be careful to check if your margarine  contains any hydrogenated oils or Trans Fats.

Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat that is very bad for your health. It increases the risk of heart disease by raising the “bad” cholesterol (LDL), and lowering the “good” cholesterol (HDL) (more about Cholesterol later).

Trans Fats should be kept out of your healthy diet plan, for a number of reasons.

Truth about Trans Fats (?)

The trans fats pollute the cell membranes of your body and interfere with their functions. They may affect the reproductive functions by decreasing the levels of testosterone (remember this, men !), and they can  weaken your immune system, especially if you’re already a bit run-down or stressed-out.

If you want more bad news, then there’s a whole list of diseases that have been linked with hydrogenated oils including Diabetes, Obesity, and certain types of Cancer.

It is also called “brain poison”, because it may lead to depression, mood disorders, fuzzy thinking and sleep disturbances.

Fats and Facts

Having said above that trans fats are man-made, let me just clarify that with the detail. There are actually two types of Trans Fats:-

- Natural Trans Fats, found, in small amounts, in dairy products and meat, and
- Artificial Trans Fats, which are manufactured when the liquid oils are hardened into partially hydrogenated fats which are still easy to spread.

Natural trans fats are better than the artificial trans fats, especially if you choose low fat dairy products. The worst ones are the artificial trans fats which are used in fried foods, cookies, and some margarines.

Experts recommend that you reduce your trans fats intake to no more than 2 grams per day and that is of natural trans fats only.  Forget the artificial ones altogether.

According to FDA (Food and Drug Administration) there is NO recommended daily allowance of Artificial Trans Fats, since these trans fats should be entirely avoided in your daily diets.

Remember, all hydrogenated oils contains trans fats, and when you eat refined and processed foods, it is very difficult to avoid hydrogenated oils or trans fats.

So what should you do?

Here are a few more guidelines for you to avoid Trans Fats and switch over to healthy eating:-

- Always, with all foods you buy, look at the nutrition table at the back of the packet to check the Trans Fats.

- Also, check the ingredients list, looking for “partially hydrogenated vegetable  oils”. Avoid hydrogenated oils.

- As we discussed last time, try to limit fatty foods, take-away meals, and packaged foods to once a week, maybe just as a “treat” (no-one can be good all the time).

- Grill, Bake or opt for stir fry rather than deep fry, this will help to reduce a lot of fat intake, especially “bad” fat.

- With all dairy products including milk, yogurt, cheese etc, go for “lite” or low fat varieties.

- Use polyunsaturated oils like canola or olive oil in cooking.

- Remember, even “innocent” foods like crackers, that pastry desserts, potato chips (sorry, it’s true), microwave popcorns (yes, no kidding) all contain hydrogenated oils.   These trans fats  “hidden” in “innocent” foods mean that that many people are un-knowingly consuming quantities of trans fats and hydrogenated oils, on a daily basis, in quantities that could be considered toxic.

Don’t Worry Be Happy

But but but – my main message, as always, is that, in order to be healthy you don’t have to give up all those good things in life.  No, with just a few gradual small changes here and there, you will move towards a much fitter, healthier, and slimmer body without even noticing that you’re trying.

Follow my blog, and pretty soon you will realise that you have more energy, you feel better, and you look better than you did a couple of months ago. Stay with me, I will give you more good information each time, and I will keep you motivated !

Come back soon

Ash