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Making Healthy Choices Nutrition |
| Back | Nutrition | Home Health Guidelines Reducing Trans Fatty Acids in the Diet Trans fatty acids are found in foods with added hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fatty acids increase the risk of heart disease by raising LDL cholesterol levels ("bad" cholesterol") and lowering HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol"). Thus they have a double detrimental affect on blood lipid levels. Use the chart below to reduce trans fatty acids in your diet. Studies show that if you reduce your trans fatty acid intake by only 2% of calories (4-5 grams of trans fat) per day you can reduce your risk of heart disease by 25% or more.
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Foods High in Trans Fatty Acids |
Foods Low in Trans Fatty Acids (Choose these healthy fat choices) |
| Margarine, especially hard stick |
Use "Trans fat free" margarine such as the Spectrum brand. Or, use olive oil on bread like the Italians do or other spreads such as unhydrogenated nut butters, or humus and other spreads. Don't use butter as it is very high in saturated fat that is also damaging to the arteries |
| Vegetable shortening |
Use an unhydrogenated vegetable oil such as olive, soy or Canola oils. All unhydrogenated vegetable oils are trans fat free. |
| Commercial baked goods, most cookies, cake, pastry, pie crust are all high sources of trans fats. Even most breads are made with partially hydrogenated oils and thus have trans fats in them |
Bake your own cookies and pies using vegetable oils in place of shortening or margarine. In converting recipes you may need to use less liquid when using oil in place of a solid fat. Look for recipes using oil for baking. |
| Deep fried foods |
Do more baking, broiling and steaming in food preparation. If you want to fry foods, use an oil like olive oil that is mostly a monounsaturated fat. Fry at low to moderate temperatures. |
| Snack foods such as pop corn, chips, crackers, cookies and other desserts are almost always very high in trans fats. |
Choose healthier snacks such as an apple, orange, pear, nuts, or seeds. You can also make you own cookies and pop corn using oil and reduce trans fats. Occasionally you can find chips or other snacks made with oil and not partially hydrogenated oils. These would be lower in trans fats. |
| Convenience foods, such as frozen dinners or packaged entree where you add water and heat (macaroni etc.) nearly always are high in trans fats. |
If you make your own pasta and entrees you can choose healthy fat choices. Learn to read labels. If you see the words, "partially hydrogenated oils" you know it has trans fats in the food. |
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Top (C) 2001 PrevMedix, LLC. Written by Don Hall, DrPH, CHES Updated 3-17-01 | |