A recent survey posted in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that even though many U.S. adults have heard of trans fats and know they increase the risk for heart disease many people are still unaware of which foods contain trans fats.
Why trans fats are bad: they increase your LDL (bad or “lousy”) cholesterol , decrease your HDL (good or “healthy”) cholesterol, increase your triglycerides and can promote inflammation.
Trans fats are created when food is processed by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils. Another name for trans fats on the food label is “partially hydrogenated oils”. Trans fats are used because they are inexpensive and extend a foods shelf life. Trans fats can be found in many foods: especially fried foods like French fries and doughnuts, cookies, crackers, pastries, pie crusts, pizza dough, stick margarines and shortenings. The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of trans fats to less than 1% of your daily calories. So, if for example you eat 2,000 calories a day, no more than 20 of those calories should come from trans fats (less than 2 grams of trans fats per day).
So read your food labels and avoid products which contain partially hydrogenated oils.
If you are looking for more heart healthy nutritional information visit www.heart-strong.com. Brand New Book “Take Charge: A Woman’s Guide to a Healthier Heart” now available offers heart healthy nutritional tips.
A recent survey posted in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that even though many U.S. adults have heard of trans fats and know they increase the risk for heart disease many people are still unaware of which foods contain trans fats.
Why trans fats are bad: they increase your LDL (bad or “lousy”) cholesterol , decrease your HDL (good or “healthy”) cholesterol, increase your triglycerides and can promote inflammation.
Trans fats are created when food is processed by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils. Another name for trans fats on the food label is “partially hydrogenated oils”. Trans fats are used because they are inexpensive and extend a foods shelf life. Trans fats can be found in many foods: especially fried foods like French fries and doughnuts, cookies, crackers, pastries, pie crusts, pizza dough, stick margarines and shortenings. The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of trans fats to less than 1% of your daily calories. So, if for example you eat 2,000 calories a day, no more than 20 of those calories should come from trans fats (less than 2 grams of trans fats per day).
So read your food labels and avoid products which contain partially hydrogenated oils.
If you are looking for more heart healthy nutritional information visit www.heart-strong.com. Brand New Book “Take Charge: A Woman’s Guide to a Healthier Heart” now available offers heart healthy nutritional tips.