You Can't Run From Trans Fats

Have you ever looked at the nutrition table of an item and wondered what the different types of fats are?

An easy break down without overwhelming you with the science behind it:

• Unsaturated fats - the best kind of fats. These fats lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. The easiest way to remember it is to think of fats like a sponge. Unsaturated fats are missing some hydrogen molecules. The sponge can still "soak up" bad cholesterol (not scientifically accurate but a good way to remember the difference)

• Saturated fats - to continue with the sponge analogy, saturated fats are completely filled with hydrogen molecules. They are saturated with hydrogen. Saturated fats raises your overall cholesterol which can cause heart disease.

• Trans fats - Scientists started picking up on the fact that saturated fats are bad for you. So they recommended using unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats weren't stable enough for cooking with though so they would combine the unsaturated fats with hydrogen using high amounts of pressure. This created an unnatural, man-made trans fat. These unnatural fats are difficult for our bodies to break down since they aren't found often in nature (except in some rudiments like beef). 

One example of this evolution is the butter industry. Remember the big debate whether to use butter or margarine? BUTTER. Margarine is packed with trans fats that will eventually build up in your system and clog your arteries since your body can't break these heavy fats. For the calorie counters, this is not what you want to hear. But trust me, your body will be able to break down and shed the weight of natural fats easier than trying to shed the trans fats.

So be wary the next time you go to eat a Special K bar, Ritz crackers, or microwaved popcorn; they are laden with trans fats. Even if the package says 0 trans fats, companies aren't required to report them if there is less than .05 grams per serving. This might not sound like a lot but it adds up quick! Especially if the company breaks up the servings sizes to smaller portions to hide the trans fats.

I used to think that as a runner, I could eat whatever I want since I ran it off anyways. You can't run from trans fats though. They stick around and are one of the leading causes of heart disease.


Check out WebMD's list of common foods with trans fats:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/top-10-foods-with-trans-fats

Sources/interesting links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat#Chemistry

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0%2C7120%2Cs6-242-304-312-7454-0%2C00.html