The Time Has Come to Reveal the Trans Fat!
added 02/06/08
by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Starting on January 1, 2006, a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation requires food manufacturers to list trans fat grams on the Nutrition Facts panel. Dietary supplement manufacturers must also list trans fat on the Supplement Facts panel when their products contain reportable amounts (0.5 gram) of trans fat. Products without trans fat information, labeled before that date, will be able to remain on the shelf until they are sold out.
Trans fat does not have to be listed if the total fat in a food is less than 0.5 gram (½ gram) per serving and no claims are made about fat, fatty acids, or cholesterol content. If it is not listed, a footnote will be added stating that the food is “not a significant source of trans fat.”
What this means is that the ingredient list may include “partially hydrogenated oil,” but the nutrition label can say zero grams of trans fat if the amount is less than one-half gram of trans fat, an insignificant amount. Of more concern are the amount of trans fat you may find in processed fatty foods such as a frozen chicken potpie (13-16 grams), giant cinnamon bun (6 grams), donut (5 grams), frozen fish sticks (3 grams), butter-flavored microwave popcorn (3 grams).
Hard to believe, but true, while oil that is partially hydrogenated is a source of trans fat, oil that is fully hydrogenated (fully saturated) doesn’t contain any trans fat. However, foods made with fully hydrogenated fat may still be a poor choice for heart and artery health because they may still contain high amounts of saturated fat.
The new label will make it easy to calculate how much heart-harmful fat is in a food; consumers will now be able to add up the total saturated and trans fat. Both kinds of fat raise “bad” LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood, which increases the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fat lowers “good” HDL-cholesterol levels, making it even worse for your health than saturated fat.
The latest 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise limiting solid fats in the diet to no more than seven or eight percent of calories. In an average 2000 calorie diet, this would mean keeping the solid fats (saturated and trans) in your diet no higher than 16 to 18 grams a day.
The Exception To The Rule
One kind of trans fat is exempt from the new law and may have a positive influence on your health. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring substance in meat and dairy products from ruminant animals, such as cows and sheep.
CLA is uniquely different from the harmful form of trans fat. In preliminary research, CLA has been found to block cancer growth and have other potentially beneficial health effects.
We’ll learn more as more studies are undertaken.
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Andra's Breads
From her home in north central New Hampshire, Andra House celebrates her Latvian heritage through the breads she bakes. “I learned to bake from my grandmothers, who were both Latvian,” says Andra. “Feeding people is how we show that we care.” She furthered her skills working in a Connecticut-based Latvian bakery before settling in northern New Hampshire.
