Happy Friday Fitfriends!
Last week I talked at length about the difference between good, medium, and bad fats and this week we are going to take all of that information and put it into practice in our daily lives with step one of our fat mission,
I’m not talking about natural trans fat that occurs in dairy, meat, and some oils; I’m talking about oils labeled as “partially hydrogenated.” Partially hydrogenated oils are made from vegetable oils like soybean or cottonseed when it goes through a process called hydrogenation. The process makes the oil more solid “hardening” and gives it a longer shelf life. (1)
Pretty soon you won’t need to worry about reading every label checking for ‘partially hydrogenated’ because the FDA in 2015 declared that Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs) are not Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and manufacturers have until June 18, 2018, to remove it from their products unless authorized by FDA. (2)
While a lot of companies didn’t wait to make the necessary changes, some haven’t, so for now, read those labels!
Some of the worst offenders of having PHOs are: dry mixes for cakes, cookies, pancakes, biscuits, frozen or refrigerated biscuits or biscuit sandwiches, doughnuts, crackers, microwave popcorn, cream-filled candies, fried fast foods, frozen pizza and ice cream. (3)
Be especially careful with anything labeled: ‘flaky’, ‘homestyle’, or ‘country’ in packaged and frozen products, or while eating out at a restaurant. Low-fat, no-fat, light and lite products can also use trans fat or a bunch of other crap that’s not good for you in them to make them that way. Another good rule of thumb is if something can last for weeks in your pantry without going stale, trans fat might be what’s making it stay ‘fresh’.
Now don’t think that you’ll never be able to eat cake again or that you’ll have to slave for hours to make your family dessert! One of my families favorite desserts is microwave mug cake that takes less than five minutes! It’s as easy as…
Next week – still talking about fats! But this time we’re adding them to every meal!
Have a great weekend!
~emmy
Sources:
(1) “What are trans fats?” NHS Choices, March13, 2015, http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2145.aspx?CategoryID=51
(2) “Final Determination Regarding Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Removing Trans Fat).” FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration, June 20, 2017, https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingredients/ucm449162.htm
(3) Kirkpatrick, Kristin, MS, RD, LD. “Avoid These 10 Foods Full of Trans Fats: Don’t Wait for the FDA ban.” Cleveland Clinic: Heath Essentials, July 10, 2015, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/07/avoid-these-10-foods-full-of-trans-fats/
