Avoid These Demons for Accelerated Fat Loss - Part Two

Yesterday I talked about the first "food demon", refined carbohydrates. Today's monstrosity is even worse. Say hello to one of the biggest poisons in today's foods, trans fat. Trans fats have a double whammy effect on your health. They increase your bad cholesterol (LDL), and they even lower the good kind (HDL)!

Trans Fat

Trans fats are artificially made fats that actually increase the amount of bad cholesterol in your body. Found in many oils and margarines, trans fats extend the shelf life of products but have been linked to clogged arteries, diabetes, increased risk of heart disease and other serious health conditions. 

Trans fats are actually a chemist’s creation and like most things artificially created, can cause havoc to your internal systems. A combination of vegetable oil with hydrogen creates a partially hydrogenated oil, or trans fatty acid. Once the hydrogen is added, the liquid oil turns into a solid at room temperature. 

The worse part is what happens when trans fats enter your body. Because these fats were once liquid, instead of dissolving inside of your body as they would in their natural state, they try to revert back to their solid state – inside of your arteries. Not exactly conducive to achieving optimal health let alone trying to lose fat.

Since trans fats are so inexpensive, versatile and seemingly have a long shelf life, the food industries love them. Because of this trans fats seems to get added to everything from baked goods, potato chips, fries and all sorts of supermarket shelf products.

What can we do about the seeming proliferation of trans fats everywhere? California recently became the first state to ban trans fats in food sold in restaurants. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for being health-conscious, signed the bill into law and by Jan. 1, 2010, California's restaurants are required to use margarines, oils, and shortening that contain less than half a gram of trans fat per serving; deep-fried bakery products must also adopt the standard by Jan. 1, 2011.

Although we are seeing some progress in the war against trans fats, we have a long way to go. What can you do to protect yourself?

Become a label detective: Read the labels on the foods you buy. Other names for trans fats are “shortening”, “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated”. If you absolutely MUST consume a food with trans fat, make sure it is at the end of the ingredient list. When ingredients are listed at the beginning of a label, it means that they are contained in a larger quantity then the rest. 

Be an informed diner: Refuse to eat at restaurants or fast food establishments that haven’t yet banned trans fats. When you’re not sure, ask if the waiter is using olive oil (and not one of the other aforementioned names given to trans fats). You also want to try and avoid the bread which is often filled with trans fats (not to mention the margarine, also trans fat guilty). Sticking to soups and salads is your safest bet.

Stick with high protein meals: I give this advice all the time as it is, but this is just another reason to do so. Turkey, chicken, eggs, bacon are all good choices.

Follow this advice and in the long run, it could make a significant difference in your overall health and well being.

Tomorrow, I'll introduce the third in the series, saturated fats.

Posted by George Louris, CFT at 5:45 AM

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