ABOUT FATS
Revised 1-1-20
Long ago I learned to put fats in alphabetical order.
Monounsaturated (GOOD)
Polyunsaturated (GOOD)
Saturated (BAD)
Trans. (WORST)
The 2 fats toward the beginning of the alphabet Mono and Poly are good essential fats. The 2 fats toward the end of the alphabet Sat and Trans are bad. Trans fat, anything Hydrogenated is the worst. In fact Trans fat is banned in many countries and in some cities in this country. In my opinion, if we are trying to lose weight, Trans Fat is POISON.
To avoid Trans Fat, the FIRST STEP is to check the NUTRITIONAL FACTS. If we see zero Trans Fat, we can't stop there. That might be a lie. As I understand it, food packagers are allowed to have up to a half a gram of Trans Fat per serving and can call it zero. So if a serving size is 2 cookies, and we eat 4 cookies, we have consumed 2 servings and we are possibly getting 1 gram of Trans Fat. If I eat one cookie, I usually eat at least a dozen or 6 grams of Trans Fat. In my opinion, it takes a tremendous amount of dieting and exercise to overcome very small amounts of Trans Fat. But anyway. If we see zero Trans Fat anywhere on the package, then the SECOND STEP is to check the INGREDIENTS. If we see the word HYDROGENATED, MONOGLYCERIDE OR DIGLYCERIDE anywhere in the INGREDIENTS then the food contains Trans Fat. Now if there is a long list of ingredients and the Trans Fat is at the bottom, then the Trans Fat may be minimal, but still, the less the better.
Many foods boast healthy info or "NO TRANS FAT", on the front of the package in large print, but the fine print within the ingredients on the rear or side of the package reveals that they actually contain HYDROGENATD TRANS FAT which may outweigh all of those good things. Sometimes the Trans Fat is at the top of the list indicating it is a fairly large amount. Sometimes it is at the bottom of a long list of ingredients indicating that the amount may be very minimal. However, if we have a little with every cup of coffee or every day for lunch the cumulative affect may range anywhere from significant to devastating to a weight management program or Health Journey.
I have posted several illustrations in the slide show below.
For a very thorough education about Trans Fats, I suggest that you check out the Web Site below:
http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/PartiallyHydrogenatedOils.html