Getting the Whole Story:
The Addition of Trans Fat Information on Food Labels

by Keecha Harris, Dr.PH., R.D.

Q: My cholesterol levels are high. My New Year's resolution is to read labels and watch for things that can make matters worse. What do the new food label requirements mean to me? How much is too much trans fat? How can I change my diet to improve my health?

A: A new era of nutrition labeling information was ushered in when the ball dropped on Times Square at midnight on January 1, 2006. The Food and Drug Administration now requires that food manufacturers tell us when they add at least 0.5 grams of trans fats to their products. We still don't have minimum and maximum standards for trans fat intake because our bodies don't need these fats at all. In fact, trans fats cause the bad cholesterol that leads to heart disease. These new label requirements will make it easier to compare foods to find the healthiest option.

Snack Foods are rife with trans fatsTrans fats are a major contributor to blood sludge. Although they do occur naturally, for the most part, trans fats are added to foods. These fats are made by saturating fat chains with hydrogen to make frying easier. They also help preserve popular snack foods like chips, cookies and cakes and make margarines, shortening and spreads semi-solid. Small amounts of trans fats are found in butter, milk, cheese, beef and lamb. Trans fats are abundant in junk food and are devastating to our bodies when we eat too much of them. They work with saturated fat to help form arterial pile-ups for the 12.5 million Americans with coronary heart disease. They also lower your levels of HDL, or good cholesterol.

Be warned, trans and saturated fats are not the only things you and others with high levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, should worry about. You must pay attention to total fat, saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Here are the basic rules for assessing a food's fat content:

  • Divide the calories from fat by the total calories.
  • If the calories from fat exceed 30 percent of the total calories, find an alternative item with a lower percent of fat.
  • If the percent Daily Value (%DV) for saturated fat or cholesterol is greater than 20 percent, find an alternative item.
  • When comparing two or more items, combine the grams of saturated fats with the grams of transfat and select the one with the lowest total.

The real answer to lowering your intake of trans fat is not locked in labels for cookies, pies and cakes. There is a foolproof way to limit the amount of these nasty fats in your diet. Eat lower on the food pyramid. The less processed an item is, the less likely it is to have trans fats. Add more fruits, vegetables, whole grain pastas, beans, and high-fiber cereals to your diet. When choosing animal products, eat fish, select lean cuts of meat, take the skin off poultry and consume low-fat milk products. Bake, grill or broil meats, and let herbs, lemon, tomato and other fat-free spices and sauces add zest to these dishes. Use the healthier fats found in olive and canola oil when you must add fat to a dish. As always, be sure to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times each week.

The new food labels will gradually appear on the shelf as manufacturers deplete their stock of items with the old labels. In the meantime, be strategic. Bypass the junk food aisles - cupcakes may be sweet on your lips but are harsh on your heart. Buy enough fruits and vegetables to make sure that at least half of the foods on your plate are vibrant shades of green, red, yellow and orange. Chances are if you shop the perimeter of the grocery store you will miss many sources of trans fats. But your heart won't.

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