Food tips and guide

The restaurant business has felt the effects of the recent study about trans fats and their detrimental effect on your health. Some cities and communities are even banning trans fats from being used by restaurants in their community. Let's look at some alternatives and find out what trans fat really is.

What Is Trans Fat?

Trans fat is industrially created oil that is made by hydrogenating plant oils. Partial hydrogenation changes the oil's molecular structure and it has been shown in studies to increase the risk of coronary artery disease or heart disease. Trans fats that are industrially created are considered to be a health risk and are not needed for your health, unlike other types of fat such as naturally occurring fats and oils.

Health Risks

Trans fats have been shown to raise the level of bad cholesterol in your body and lower the amount of good cholesterol. This is unlike naturally occurring fats including saturated fats, where they may raise your bad cholesterol, but they do not have the added effect of also lowering your good cholesterol as well. In other studies, concerns have also been raised about trans fats contributing to cancer, diabetes, liver disease, obesity and even fertility, though there is no scientific consensus on these additional effects. Consider that the majority of processed foods have or have had trans fats in them for the last few decades, and the increase in heart disease during that time, then you might become very concerned.

How To Spot Trans Fats

Just look on the packaging and the ingredients on the label, whenever you see the words "partially hydrogenated" along with the name of an oil, that is trans fat. It's in thousands of products that are eaten everyday, but it most often occurs in packaged cookies, cakes, breads and many other processed, fried and baked foods that sit on the shelf of your grocery store. Also, many restaurants use trans fats to fry their fries or other foods.

Alternatives

As a result of the recent scientific evidence as to the harmful effects of trans fats, many food companies and even many restaurants are seeking out alternatives that will offer a similar taste to customers without the harmful effects. Leading the way, companies including Disney and Wendy's have already eliminated the use of trans fats in their theme parks and restaurants worldwide. Some alternatives to trans fats include butter, butter fats, coconut and palm oils, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, liquid vegetable oils including soy, canola and rapeseed oils and new genetically modified fats that are in development.

While not all the alternatives are "healthy" fats in a traditional sense, they are better alternatives to trans fats as they do not lower good cholesterol as trans fats do.