Trans Fat - Bad!

Too much trans and saturated fats can lead to heart disease! Let's try to cut back, shall we? Here's a list to help me (and perhaps you) remember.

Top 10 Bewares

1. Spreads: Stick or tub margarines

Instead: Soft-tub margarines? I'm a little confused on this one as it seems that everything spread-like has it. So giving it up completely would be the ultimate best, but the article suggest soft-tub margarines and to read the labels.

2. Packaged foods. Cake mixes, Bisquick, and other mixes

Instead: Do it yourself baking is the best!

3. Soups: Ramen noodles and soup cups

Instead: Crock-pot it, or for those on the go, reduced fat or fat-free canned soups.

4. Fast food: Apple pies, fries, well, just about everything

Instead: Well, I say just don't order it. But if you must, try to go baked or broiled meat, no apple pies, and really share those fries. They may be yummy but a medium-sized fries has 14.5 grams of trans fat. Yuck! And to think all that I consumed when I worked at McD's.

5. Frozen Food: Those yummy frozen pies, pot pies, WAFFLES (?!), pizzas, even breaded fish sticks contain trans fat. Even if the label says it's low-fat, it still has trans fat.

Instead: Try to make sure and get baked not breaded stuff in the frozen foods.

All the rest here are baked stuff. They say there is usually more trans fat in commercially baked products than anything else.

6. Baked goods

a. Cookies and cakes (with shortening-based frosting)

b. Donuts: Oh, I'm so glad that I don't (a) live near an Ob-Co's donut shop and (b) a Krispy Kreme.

c. Cream-filled cookies

d. Pound Cake: You had to see this one coming, what with the name "pound" in the title. Where do you think it comes from anyway?

Insteads on a-d: Use fat-substitute baking products, or just cut back on the bad ingredients. E.g. Try using one stick and a fat-free baking product, instead of the 2 sticks of butter the recipe calls for.

7. Chips and Crackers. Shortening provides crispy texture. Even "reduced fat" brands can still have trans fat. Anything fried (like potato chips and corn chips) or buttery crackers have trans fat.

Instead: Stuff like pretzels, toast, pita bread.

8. Breakfast food. Breakfast cereal and energy bars. Damn! That probably means my oatmeal!

Instead: Whole-wheat toast, bagels, and many cereals don't have much fat. Yeah, but things like contain a bazillion carbs. Is there nothing we can eat in this world?

9. Cookies and Candy. A chocolate bar with nuts -- or a cookie -- is likely to have more trans fat than gummy bears.

Instead:Probably best to just say away from this category all together if at all possible. But we know it's not so gummy bears or jelly beans. Dark chocolate for the choc-o-holics.

10. Toppings and Dips. Nondairy creamers and flavored coffees, whipped toppings, bean dips, gravy mixes, and salad dressings contain lots of trans fat. Yeah, that probably means my vanilla creamer. Sucky, sucky.

Instead:Use skim milk or powdered nonfat dry milk in coffee. Oil-and-vinegar is great for salad dressings, or if you need it creamy, then read the labels!