Zero grams is a lie -- trans fat truths

So Trans fats a.k.a. Trans fatty acids...

Bottom line is partially hydrogenated oils (all of them – even soy) are no bueno. Any time you see partially hydrogenated fill-in-the-blank oil, the product does contain trans fat. This demonstrates an FDA labeling flaw, and an easy topic to get me fired up. FDA regulations do not require that a product containing less than 0.5 gram of tans fat per serving, declare the trans fats on the Nutrition facts panel. Sure, 0.5 gram doesn't sound like much but there are several other factors that play into the decision whether to avoid the product or not. Partially hydrogenated oils are used to make liquid oils thicker and therefore give them a longer shelf-life so are very often used in commercial baking – think cookies, crackers, breads, cakes, and pastries – but also can be found in so much more. So let's take good ol' fashioned Ritz-like crackers. The nutrition facts panel lists "Trans fat 0g" however the ingredient list contains “partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil”. First, check the serving size. If you really plan to eat only one serving, you might decide the damage is nominal and indulge. One problem is that often serving sizes are cryptic. When was the last time you measured 16 grams of Ritz-like crackers to eat? Seriously? There is a USDA nutrient library (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/) in which you can reference serving sizes for many foods. However I have found this library lacks information on many healthier food choices so it is far from being a complete resource. Let's assume the nutrient library is correct and believe that 16 grams of Ritz-like crackers is approximately 5 crackers. Who really eats just 5 and then stops? With the exception of waddlers and blue-hairs (toddlers and the elderly), very few of us stop there. Assuming most of us would eat 2-4 servings, which is 10-20 crackers, you are consuming at least 1-2 grams of trans fat. The AHA (American Heart Assoc) suggests limiting trans fats to less than 1% of your total daily calories. For a 2,000 calorie diet, this means less than 2 grams of trans fat per day. Eating 15-20 Ritz-like crackers would exhaust your trans fat allowance for an entire day.

Can you understand why I'm not an uber-fan of the Nutrition facts panel? I personally tend to be a conspiracy theorist at times and I have wondered where the FDA and the USDA obtain their funding; I wouldn't be surprised if corporate America had a hand in paying a few bills but I have done absolutely no research in this area and that suspicion is entirely unproven. Partially hydrogenated oils are used because they extend the shelf-life of products, resulting in less spoilage. Corp-o-rama food manufactures love the science of partial hydrogenation... $$$ Ca-ching! $$$

There is a caveat... Trans fatty acids are naturally occurring in some animal products, including dairy; but in very small quantities. I believe if peoples trans fat consumption was from dairy alone, society wouldn't have the negative health implications (elevated cholesterol, coronary heart disease, inflammation, etc.) that we have as a result of over-consumption. Mr. E & I aren't major dairy-holics so I'm not concerned with the trans fats we do get from dairy sources.

Hydrogenated oils (versus partially hydrogenated oil) are along the lines of saturated fats. Saturated fats occur in nature (mostly animal sources) and are not necessarily bad. During the butter-love era (pre margarine) people did take it a bit far with half-sticks of butter on baked potatoes and whole tablespoonfuls of melted butter on popcorn. One "pat" of butter (described as 1" sq, 1/3" thick) definitely won't kill you, as long as the rest of your diet isn't heavily laden with saturated fats. Again, we're back to my mantra of all things in moderation.

Because I think I've exhausted my verboseness for the day, here are a couple of interesting sources – assuming I haven't put you to sleep already ;-)

Trans fat info (I believe from a private label source):
http://thetruthabouttransfat.com/

Fat info from the American Heart Association:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4582

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3046074

FDA trans fat labeling regulations:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr03711a.html