You might be living under a rock if you are not aware of trans fat and its complications. The bottom line is trans fat not only makes you feel lazy but also very unhealthy to your heart, every now and then if you are indulging a lot into trans-fat foods then it may not be harmful but making a habit to consume on a regular basis can lead to many diseases. Trans fat is basically an unsaturated fat that is present in many food items. These come in two forms-natural and artificial. Natural trans fat is found in 3-9% in meat and 2-6 % in dairy items. Conjugated linoleic acids found in meat are considered as good fats and are healthy for you. However, trans fats (hydrogenated fat) that are found in vegetable oil- a chemical used to make it normal at room temperature are very harmful that increases bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol in your body. Recently the World Health Organisation released a statement stating approximately 5.4 lakh deaths took place per year globally due to the consumption of trans fat food, WHO is now aiming to be trans fat free by 2023. These numbers are scary enough to force us to shift to adopting healthier eating habits.That is why we got you the list of trans fat foods that you need to be careful about-
List of trans-fat foods
- Processed Foods commonly known as junk food are the most unhealthy foods you can ever consume. They are packed with high levels of trans fats.
- Theatre Popcorns- Unlike homemade popcorn, movie popcorns are heavily coated with coconut oil or other vegetable oils that contain chemicals are responsible for trans fat.
- Vegetable Cooking Oil is infused with heavy chemicals that keep them in a liquid form and prevents them from turning stiff in cold environments. The chemicals are nothing but a heavy dosage of trans fat that increases the chances of heart diseases.
- Fried snacks such as potato chip, processed snacks that are available in the market in huge quantities must be avoided. Not one bit of them are healthy.
- Frozen foods like a burger patty, potato fritters, spring rolls contain high levels of trans-fats.
- Pastries, cakes, cupcakes or processed homemade cake mix contain high levels of sugar and unnecessary chemicals that make them very harmful for your insulin levels as well as heart.
- Bakery items like biscuits, cookies, rolls, cream roll also contain unhealthy trans-fats
- Deep-fried items like samosa, french fries, pakoras. They all are deep-fried in oils that contain hydrogenated trans fat.
- Last but certainly not least coffee whiteners. I know for a lot of coffee lovers this may come as a shock but using it over a longer period of time can turn dangerous to your body as they usually contain hydrogenated trans fat that is as we discussed is very harmful.
Instead, try these healthy options
- Use vegetable oil that contains saturated fat such as canola oil, soy oil, olive oil.
- Fish like salmon, nuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are a great option for healthy fat.
- Fruits such as apple, kiwi, mangos, seasonal fruit, or whatever you like. Eat them as a mini food break or at breakfast.
- Try to use the plant-based dressing for salads. Like avocado, low-fat dressing such as mayonnaise.
- Nuts like almonds, cashews, hazelnut, pecans, macadamia
- Vegetarian sources for omega-3 are Kale, spinach. Walnuts, eggs, beans, chia seeds, seaweed. Whereas non-vegetarian fish is a great option too.
- If you have a sweet tooth then go for dark chocolate, they are the best for healthy saturated fat.
