Trans fat has been all over the place lately – in the news, on package labeling, talked about among nutritionists. Now everyone knows how bad it is and can easily spot it! Food manufacturers are required to list trans fats on nutrition labels and many have reformulated these products to reduce or eliminate trans fats, which are implicated in heart disease.
But it’s not simply a matter of grabbing products that highlight "no trans fats." 40% of products in your supermarket still contain trans fats, and many restaurants and fast-food chains fry with partially hydrogenated oils.
Following are the top 10 categories of foods on the “caution” list. Read the ingredients closely when purchasing any of these types of products:
- Margarine and stick margarine
- Packaged foods – frostings, cake mixes, brownies, bars, crusts, tacos
- Fast food chains – fries, breakfast items, desserts, fried chicken
- Frozen food – cakes, fried chicken, lasagna, hamburger helper, pizza, pasta
- Baked goods – icings, fillings, doughnuts, shortening, cookies
- Chips and crackers – mot have now eliminated trans fats
- Breakfast food – most cereals are safe from trans fat now, but always check
- Candy - most are safe from trans fat now, but always check
- Soups – many are fat free now but check the label
- Toppings and dips - nondairy creamers, flavored coffees, whipped toppings, bean dips, gravy mixes, salad dressings – but many are now trans fat free
Many companies have cleaned up their act when it comes to trans fats– what took them so long? All the trans fat hype finally got the ball rolling.
