Trans Fat Foods Target the Heart Twice
By Sandy Schroeder
Who doesn’t love piping hot salted or chili fries? How about a bag of chips, fried chicken, or sugared donuts? The list is seductive and the consequences spell double trouble for the heart, according to Mayo Clinic researchers.
Wherever you are with heart concerns, it’s important to know what Mayo researchers say: “Trans fat is the worst type of fat you can eat.”
You may walk every day, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and maintain normal weight, but trans fats could be dealing a double blow to your heart.
- Raising low-density lipoprotein or LDL, which is “bad” cholesterol
- Lowering high-density lipoprotein or HDL, which is considered “good” cholesterol
Heart disease is the leading killer of American women and men, according to Newsmax. Some dairy products and meat contain trans fats naturally, but adding hydrogen to vegetable oil creates hydrogenated oil to become lethal. Fast food franchises use hydrogenated oil because it’s cheap and stable at room temperatures.
At the same time, those french fries or fried chicken made with hydrogenated oil can leave fatty deposits on arteries, which can rupture and tear, creating blood clots to trigger a stroke heart attack.
Read the Labels, Avoid the Culprits
When you shop, read the labels and look for the breakout under “Total Fat.” The goal is to keep these readings at 0 percent.
- Saturated Fat
- Trans-Fat
- Cholesterol
Also look for information about “partially hydrogenated oils” in the ingredient list.
Foods Most Likely to Include Trans Fats
Here are some of the key enemies.
- Potato, tortilla and corn chips, microwave popcorn - These often come with trans-fats
- Deep-fried french fries, chicken and doughnuts - Trans-fats are absorbed as they cook
- Cookies, pies, cakes, crackers - Bakery aisle processed foods often use shortening made with partially hydrogenated oil; canned frosting falls into the same category
- Margarine and creamers - Stick margarines and non-dairy creamers can be trans-fat culprits
- Refrigerated dough - Frozen pizza crusts, and canned biscuits or cinnamon rolls often contain trans-fats
Mayo Clinic tells us to avoid trans-fats and products with coconut, palm kernel and palm oils, which all contain a lot of saturated fat. A healthy diet allows for 20 to 30 percent of total calories coming from fat, but saturated fat should be less than 10 percent of the total.
Stay With Monounsaturated Fats
- Olive oil
- Peanut and canola oils
- Nuts, fish and other foods with unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids
As always, start with your doctor to establish the healthiest diet and know where you stand with cholesterol and glucose numbers for the health of your heart. Review diet, weight, blood pressure, and glucose health numbers.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Coppell, Tex.