It could be in your favorite snack or margarine spread, the crackers you eat with chili, or the energy bars that you take to the gym.

The villain is trans fat--also known as trans fatty acids--a dietary demon that increases "bad" LDL cholesterol and decreases "good" HDL cholesterol.

These manmade fats are produced by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil which hardens like butter at room temperature. They are "just as detrimental to our arteries as the saturated fat that we've heard so much about for the last 20 years," says Jill Hulst, a Registered Dietitian and Cardiac Rehab nutritionist at RAHH.

Used to extend shelf life and stabilize flavor, trans fat has been difficult to spot because it has been cloaked in a confusing list of ingredients under myriad terms.

As of January 2006, trans fats are more apparent because of a federal regulation. Most packaged foods are required to list trans fat on the nutrition label.
Now it's up to consumers to decide whether they want to keep eating trans-fatty foods. Many of these foods shouldn't be eaten in large quantities anyway because of drawbacks like high total fat, low fiber, and lots of sugar or salt.

Companies are churning out trans-fat-free products to please nutritionally savvy consumers and activists, but there are still plenty of candies, baked goods and snacks--including some popcorn--that still contain it.

Healthy people have more flexibility to indulge in those types of things than people with preexisting conditions such as heart disease, Hulst says, "but we still have to get people back to eating foods that are more whole and natural."

Why it's bad
Recent studies also suggest a connection between trans fat and potentially damaging inflammation in the body.

Systemic inflammation has been described by researchers as an emerging risk factor for coronary artery disease, diabetes and heart failure.

"We're just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of understanding what inflammation will do or what harm it might cause, but it seems pretty clear that it's not doing anything positive," says Susan Moores, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a nutrition consultant in St. Paul.

Avoiding trans fat isn't as simple as just looking for "0g trans fat" on the label. Companies can claim that a product is trans-fat-free as long as there is less than half a gram per serving, so consumers could still rack up a lot of trans fat by eating absent-mindedly.

Ingredients like "hydrogenated oil" or "partially hydrogenated oil" can indicate a product will have some trans fats in it, even when 'trans fat free'
is on the label.

No amount of trans fats in our diet is really recommended. If you can avoid products with trans fats--do so.

We in Food Service at Roseau Area Hospital and Homes have chosen to reformulate some recipes by utilizing products such as a canola/olive oil blend to reduce or eliminate trans fat. Our facility-provided snacks for Cardiac Rehab are all trans fat free and our catering menu places an emphasis on wholesome choices such as fresh fruit and whole grains.

Carletta Rhen-Mlodzik is Director of Support Services at Roseau Area Hospital and Homes Inc. To learn more about good nutrition, contact her at (218) 463-2500.