Beginning in January 2008, the FDA required that food labels include information on trans fats. The FDA approved this new regulation because of the conclusion of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that there is no safe level of trans fats in the diet.
Trans fats are man-made, factory fats. Many times they are of GMO origin as well. They do not occur anywhere in nature (more on this below).
Edible oil companies create it via the highly industrialized, chemical process of partial hydrogenation. This is why health authorities sometimes refer to trans fats like partially hydrogenated fats.
Trans Fat = Partially Hydrogenated Fat
The list of ailments associated with trans fats is long.
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Infertility
- Auto-Immune Disorders
- Degeneration of bones and tendons
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
With the labels of most processed foods now proudly displaying zero trans fats, consumers may think they have now rid themselves of this dangerous ingredient.
Not so.
How Food Manufacturers Game the Transfat Label
To determine the extent of the trans fat labeling fraud, the Weston A. Price Foundation contracted with the Burnsides Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois to test various grocery items for trans fat content.
While the results of this testing did indeed indicate that the trans fat content of processed foods is greatly reduced, it is far from gone.
This is because food manufacturers are permitted to put ZERO next to the trans fat line item on the label as long as the food contains .5 grams or less of trans fat per serving.
Food manufacturers work around this requirement by making the serving sizes unnaturally small. These portions are not based on the reality of how people actually consume these products.
If an individual eats an entire bag of chips or close to it while watching TV, for instance, quite a bit of trans fats will be consumed. Remember that the NAS said that there is no safe level of trans fat consumption.
The good news is that some of the foods tested such as Oreos and Goldfish crackers accurately tested at zero transfats.
Other Types of Factory Fats Just as Bad
If your foods are labeled with no trans fats, that doesn’t mean they are free of factory fats though. It just means that they are free of one type of dangerous fat.
Interesterified fats are the go-to factory fat used in place of trans fats in processed foods. These fats have their own health concerns as they are very high in cancer-causing free radicals. This occurs due to the high heat processing required to produce them.
So, while Country Crock is labeled “heart-healthy” because it is very low in transfats, on the flip side it is very high in delicate omega-6 fats (vegetable oils). When subjected to the high heat interesterification process required to produce it, this butter substitute becomes dangerous to health and very likely carcinogenic.
It is best to avoid any type of fat that requires a factory to produce it. The good news is that health-oriented food companies are starting to switch to healthier alternatives like avocado oil. This fat can withstand very high temperatures without rancidity setting in.
Trans Fat in Animal Foods?
One last point about trans fat. Don’t fall for the misguided argument that animal foods like butter, cream, and grass-fed meat should be avoided as they contain a small amount of naturally occurring trans fat.
Federal labeling for trans fat does not distinguish between naturally occurring trans fat and the artificially created, synthetic kind.
However, the trans fat in animal foods is completely different structurally to the factory produced trans fats in processed foods.
Trans fat in animal foods is actually trans vaccenic acid (VA) and is used by humans to synthesize conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is highly beneficial for losing weight and building muscle mass.
CLA can reduce risk factors for the Big Three of degenerative disease: obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
So next time you see a ZERO next to the trans fats in your favorite processed food label, know that chances are these dangerous factory fats are still in there. But don’t be put off by trans fat content of natural foods like butter. These trans fats made by Mother Nature will help keep you slim and healthy!
Sources
Trans Fats in the Food Supply, Wise Traditions Journal
Health Benefits Discovered in Natural Trans Fats, University of Alberta Shows
My organic non-homoginized yogurt has .5g trans fat. Where does it come from?
Seems like most packaged food companies need to be boycotted to smarten up and start making food that is not junk or even toxic.
Ugh, now I want to make my own oreos…. It’s been months, if not years, since I have had any. Hmm, almond flour + sucanat + butter + cocoa could make that, right?
Anyway, that’s my solution when I crave “junk” food — make my own homemade version!
There’s arsenic in the chicken and turkey and they don’t put that on the labels…
Sara,
I thought you’d get a kick out of my toddler’s teacher asking me recently send “goldfish, puffs or cereal bars” in lieu of the grassfed raw milk yogurt I’d been sending because she was “interested” in what the other kids were eating and they didn’t want her to feel excluded….sigh. So, I of course had to explain why she gets what she does for food and you could tell it was more info tsheeted teacher ever wanted to know about nutrition! I’m sure they think Im crazy because I send things like pAstured egg and Swiss chard fritatta for her lunch. Oh well! I might add she is bright eyed and precocious and never had an ear infection or stomach virus!!
Teachers are tough nuts to crack when it comes to good nutrition. They like what makes their job easy and shuts the kids up, not what is best for their health.
Yup – I knew about this. Disgusting marketing manipulation as usual!
I remember a couple years ago learning that Girl Scout cookies do this. I thought that was kind of ironic, since they promote honesty!
We avoid pkgd foods all together. But how dishonest! Good info to know!
I have tried vigilantly to keep hydrogenated fat out of our home and diet. I am constantly amazed at how big business is able to manipulate the system, putting our health at risk, for the almighty dollar. Thank you for publishing this informative article! We consumers need to make our voices heard, vote with our dollars, and carefully safeguard the health and future health of ourselves, our children and our country.
Bonnie, making chips is easy and they are so delicious (esp. bbq sweet potato). problem I have is that they don’t store, they turn soggy.