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This week we’re looking at a group of Super Foods that are all monounsaturated fats: avocados, olive oil, and peanut butter. It’s pretty widely accepted that these are “healthy fats”, and I’ll give you some Food for Thought and some ways to use these fun foods as the week wears on. For your mission, however, I want to start a journey of getting the bad fats out of your diet.
Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to learn how to find trans fats in your cupboards. Bonus points for starting to root them out of your life!
Impact Ratings: 
Level of Commitment: Baby Steps
Or…
If you’re already a trans-fat-free household, focus this week on finding new ways to include monounsaturated fats from foods like olive oil, avocado, and peanut butter in your diet.
Controversial Fat Information Overload
There is a ton of controversy about good fats/bad fats out there. You can find conflicting research and opinions that will boggle your mind as you try to figure out whether you should eat butter, canola oil, vegetable spreads, etc. There is one fat that everyone – even the US government – can agree on, however: trans fats. They’re nasty little buggers, and they’re slowly killing our country via heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and more.
What is a Trans Fat?
Trans fats are created when a liquid oil is made into a solid oil by a process called “hydrogenation”. You can find the science behind the change here or here, but without going into too much, hydrogenation changes the molecular structure of the fat. It breaks bonds and moves an atom, which starts to sound kind of sci-fi and not something I want to eat. I like to eat things that grow in the ground or on a farm, personally! I trust that kind of real food. If you really want to be grossed out, read a cool detailed description of the hydrogenation process at the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Trans fats were created 50 or 60 years ago for a couple reasons:
- Longer shelf life
- Inexpensive solid fats for baking
- Healthier than butter and lard (they THOUGHT back then!)
Why Trans Fats are Bad for You
“Trans fats cause significant and serious lowering of HDL (good) cholesterol and a significant and serious increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol; make the arteries more rigid; cause major clogging of arteries; cause insulin resistance; cause or contribute to type 2 diabetes; and cause or contribute to other serious health problems.” (From Ban Trans Fats, a website worth visiting)
Because trans fats are man-made, the body doesn’t recognize them and doesn’t really know what to do with them. They get stored (stored fat, anyone?). They attack the arteries (arterial plaque sound like fun?). They are the worst kind of fat you can eat.
How Much Trans Fat is Safe?
None. Good recommendations say don’t eat it, ever (Women’s Health). Mediocre recommendations say a few grams a day or to keep it “as low as possible” (FDA, 2005). Some countries (Denmark) and even U.S. cities (New York City and others) have totally banned trans fats in public eateries. (Read this article for more fascinating facts.)
How to Find a Trans Fat on an Ingredient Label
In 2006, the FDA began requiring trans fat to be included in the nutrition facts on food packages. You would think, then, that you’d find the amount of trans fat listed on the label. However, there’s a nasty loophole that could trick you into eating more than a few grams of trans fat without blinking an eye.
The FDA allows food manufacturers to list “0g Trans Fat” on the label if there is .49g or less in a serving. The companies can then manipulate the serving size or simply reduce, instead of eliminate, the amount of trans fat in their foods, and still trick consumers with the “0g Trans Fat” label. No fair, I say! You could buy a box of crackers that says “No Trans Fat!” in a big, bright starburst on the front, eat cheese and crackers for lunch and end up with a few grams of trans fat in your system, totally unawares.
Here’s what you really need to look for:
Hydrogenated
Partially Hydrogenated
Shortening
If you see any of those words in the ingredients list, your item has trans fat in it, regardless of the number on the nutrtion facts label.
This is obviously a lot more work than checking the nutrition facts for a number. No fair, but necessary. Heart disease is a lot of work, too! You’ll learn to scan ingredients quickly for the evil words with a little practice.
Hydrogenated
Partially Hydrogenated
Shortening
Is Partially Hydrogenated Oil Safer than Fully Hydrogenated?
No. Trans fat is trans fat. If you see the word hydrogenated, stay away from it!
Places Trans Fats sneak into my House (Eek!)
- Tortillas (definitely the hardest one – it’s really difficult to find tortillas, even expensive ones that I don’t want to buy anyway, that don’t have trans fat. One corn tortilla I found with no hydrogenated oil had parabens in them, a dangerous compound most often found in personal products like shampoo. Yuck.)
- Pretzels
- Graham Crackers
- Refried Beans
- Shortening for baking (until recently)
- Eating out
- Are there others? I hope not, but probably…
UPDATE: A new trans fat post with lots of ideas from readers: Sneaky Trans Fat: Where are They in Your Home?
A few Substitution Ideas (if you’re ready for step two)
- Homemade Tortillas
- Check labels on pretzels and snacks – they don’t ALL have hydrogenated oils
- Make your own graham crackers
- Check refried bean labels, too. Organic store brand around here just has beans and peppers in it. Or make your own Homemade Refried Beans.
- Get rid of the shortening! Use butter instead. I’ve even made a successful pie crust with Smart Balance spread (for my cousin who can’t have any dairy). We’ll go much more in depth on this issue …
We’ll return to this subject at length after the Super Foods series is over. At the risk of being too theme-y, perhaps a “Fat Full Fall”, just in time to put you on guard for the holiday season!
Please visit 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven for Homemaker Mondays and find great Kitchen Tips at Tammy’s Recipes.
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Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
Other Super Food Health Benefits:
- Chicken Stock/Broth
- Beans/Legumes
- Yogurt
- Eggs
- Tomatoes
- Cruciferous Vegetables
- Garlic and Onions
- Peppers
Hungry for more? Related posts:
Coconut oil is another great substitute for vegetable shortening. It is vegan, can withstand high heat, and is very healthy in and of itself! Its what I used to make my strawberry shortcake recipe.
Stacy’s last blog post..Strawberry Shortcake
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:15 am
Absolutely – I am falling in love with coconut oil myself, but it’s kind of a bigger than baby step for a later date…
[Reply to this comment]
While checking labels, I came across 2 products that have “partially hydrogenated SOYBEAN oil”. As you indicated, the trans fat reading is reported as “0″ but I am curious if this still fits in the trans fat category? I am guessing yes from the “partially hydrogenated” portion but am thrown off by it being SOY.
Thanks!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 am
GREAT question! Soybean oil is just an oil like any other, and when taken from its liquid form to a solid form, it’s just as evil. Soy is actually one of those foods that some people laud like it’s going to save the world and others would sweep under the rug as so much dust. Don’t think the seeing the word soy=healthy. In this case, it definitely isn’t. I’m proud of you for checking labels right away! Eye opening, isn’t it? Thanks for the super question — Katie
[Reply to this comment]
What a great post! This is my first time here and I will definitely be back. I have been making my own refried beans for years, and thankfully, my family like them better than the canned kind. I have yet to make homemade tortillas, but that’s the next step for me. I try to stay away from anything that says hydrogenated in the ingredient list but it’s not always easy when you are trying to please the whole family.
DarcyLee’s last blog post..No Stress Here!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Thanks! Glad you like what you see – I’ll try to include lots of family-friendly stuff that is healthy. Welcome!
[Reply to this comment]