Der_KeenRuNNer: Trans fat myth

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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Trans fat myth

For the past few years, the aisles in the supermarket have been bombarded with ‘Trans Fat Free’.
With more and more labeling requirements, some manufacturers actually use this to their advantage.

So what exactly is trans fat? Why is it bad for us?

Fats are divided into good fats and bad fats. Good fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) are the ones which increase the good cholesterol while bad fats (saturated fats and trans fat) increases bad cholesterol and make us prone to stroke and heart attack.

Trans fat are basically ‘hydrogenated’ oil (hydrogen added to the product) to prolong shelf life, improve texture and taste. Thus both trans fat and saturated fat should be avoided in our diets.
Trans fat is typically found in meat and dairy products. Thus, food from plant origin doesn’t contain trans fat. (The tag line in certain cooking oil – No trans fat – is just a gimmick. In the first place, plants DON’T contain trans fat!)

What are the examples of food which contain trans fat?
- fried food
- pop corn
- cookies

Enough of bad news, what about good fats? How to obtain them?
- Omega 3
- Nuts (walnut, pistachio, almonds)
- Olive oil

Do increase your intake of Omega 3 and olive oil in your daily diet. Just splash Omega3 oil and olive oil onto your salad and perhaps a bit of balsamic vinegar for that extra taste!

Contributed by Cindy Wong of Fitline. (From http://www.hooha.asia/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=601:trans-fat-myth&catid=44:nutrition )