There are many myths that have been passed down from generation to generation, and one of those is that fat is not good for the body. Fat has always been shunned from our diet. We have always tried our best to avoid fat in our meals and advise others to do the same. Is fat really all that bad?
Trans Fat Meaning?
Trans fat is known as “bad” cholesterol that can pose severe harm to your body.First we need to understand fat in our food. Fat is a large family that includes saturated fats, unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, interest verified fats, polyunsaturated fats, omega fatty acids and finally trans fats.
Trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat with the characteristics and workings of a saturated fat. There are two types of trans fat. Artificially made and naturally found. The naturally-occurring trans fat are generally found in the guts of animals and also in the foods that are made from these particular animals. Artificial trans fat is created by the processed foods industries, where vegetable oil is infused with hydrogen. These foods include dairy products and processed meat.
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Trans fat is not a good fat and can affect our health in numerous ways. It affects cholesterol levels by increasing bad cholesterol and decreasing good cholesterol. It can clog the arteries and cause heart attacks ora paralytic stroke. Type 2 diabetes is another result of excessive trans fat in our diet.
Despite knowing the ill-effects of trans fat, most food industries use it because it is much more cost-effective than the pure fat. It allows the product to last for a long time with the ideal texture and great taste. Initially, only processed or packaged foods contained trans fat. However, its usage has trickled into fast food joints as well.Countries such as Denmark, USA, etc. have put massive restrictions on the usage of trans fat.
Even though people are aware of its side effects, they still purchase food products with high amounts of trans fat. In the early years, people didn’t know about trans fat and its effects in the human body. FDA does not support the consumption of trans fat. People are drawn to these foods because of the taste and shelf life. It is important to be cautious of what we consume as it can result in serious health problems.
According to some experts, you should restrict the intake of foods containing hydrogenated vegetable oils and replace that kind of trans fat-containing foods with foods that contain mono-saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. To keep track of the trans fat content you might consume, it is good to read up the nutrition value and ingredients used in processed food.
The Source of Trans Fats:
This was found initially in small traces in animal based food products.One of the primary sources for trans fat are herbivores which eat grass. In fact, the grass-eating animals such as cows, buffaloes, deer, goats when compared with the poultry animals of the same kind shows that the grain-eating animals like chickens and ducks contain less trans fat than the grass-eating ones.
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How Effective Are Trans Fats?
Trans fat was originally infused in our food to increase their shelf life. While “this is the worst-possible type of fat”, many of us don’t know that the recommended diet contains a sizeable amount of trans fats. In fact, we consume some form of trans-fat or the other on a daily basis.However, there is no reason to fret because our body needs a little bit of everything even the ones that seem unhealthy. Thus, a small portion of trans fat is good since they help us fight off chronic diseases.Even then, trans fats remains to be one of the least recommended nutrient for consumption.
Effects Of Trans Fat:
Now there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol in our body. What trans fat does is reduce the level of good cholesterol which is HDL or high density lipoprotein and increase the bad one which is low density lipoprotein otherwise known as LDL. The rise in LDL levels results in the risk of cardiac diseases like heart failure, heart attack, vessel congestion, clogged arteries and vascular obstacle and many other disruptions increase.
However, the most common effect of trans fat is on obesity or excessive weight gain. Consumption of trans fat makes us gain more weight than any other fatty nutrients. They redistribute all the body fat tissue around the abdominal area, and can also be the reason for atherosclerosis or inflammation. Unfortunately, it is unavoidable as the numerous products contain trans fat.
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Trans Fats Foods To Avoid:
Trans fat cannot be rejected from our body completely but what we can do is control and contain them for the sakes of our health.While we cannot avoid all of it, we can balance what we eat. Here’s the list of foods that contain trans fat:
Junk food or fast food like fried chicken, French fries, pizza contains a high amount of trans fat.
Process foods like chips, microwaved popcorn, artificially flavored beverages, burger patties, packaged meat use trans fat to increase their shelf life.
Dairy and confectionery like cheese and margarine, chocolate, pastries, cream and frostings, pies and biscuits, ice-creams, etc. use trans fat to give them the right texture and taste.
This list contains more than half of our daily day food product and thus you cannot cross them entirely of your grocery list. What you can do is compare and see which products have lesser trans fat and depending on that, you can decide to pick those with lesser trans fat.
How to Get Rid of Trans Fat from the Body:
Most of what we eat happens to be on the list of food containing trans fat. Now, the question is “if we cannot avoid it how can we avoid get rid of it?” Here are a few ways you can remove trans fat from your body:
- Its important to start reading thee labels of your food packages to understand the level of trans fat. Start avoiding food that contain trans fat and choose for healthy alternatives.
- Look for labels on food such as “shortening” or “partially hydrogenated”. These are artificially created trans fat which are far more harmful to health
- Strictly commit to a diet plan for a week during which you avoid all foods with trans fat and hydrogenated oils.
- Increase your fiber intake to bind the fats in your body and release them out.
- Drink plenty of fluids and juices like carrot to help release fat.
- Don’t forget to take your first cup of warm lemon water early in the morning to cleanse your body
- Switch to organic food as much as possible. This way you can reduce the intake of trans fat.
List of Foods to Remove Trans fat From the Body
Chalk out a diet plan and include the following foods to remove trans fat from the body:
- Warm Lemon Water: Cleanses your liver and detoxifies your body. Gently flushes out the body fat.
- Enzyme Rich Food: Enzyme rich foods like Avocados have certain compounds that help breakdown your fat and boost your metabolism.
- Raw or Steamed Vegetables: A healthy salad or raw or steamed vegetables can help you curb trans fat and prevent constipation.
- Fibre Rich food : Food like Whole Grains, Apples are rich in fiber that help bind the fats and release them from the system
- Plenty Of water: Water is the best source for removing trans fat. Water can dilute the fat components and flush them out from the body.
- Green Tea: Rich in antioxidants, Green tea works like a miracle in removing body trans fat. It detoxifies your body and lowers down cholesterol levels,
We presented some of the most important facts regarding trans fat, from where they come, its prime ingredients,what foods contain it the most, their effect on health, and how to substitute as well as get rid of it from your body.
