Say Goodbye To Trans Fats to Say Hello to Good Health!

Recently FSSAI declared that they want to make the Indian Food Industry free from trans-fat by 2022. It got a lot of parents questioning what trans-fats are and how are they harmful to the body. To help in this battle against ‘bad’ fats, we take a look at what they are and how we can eliminate them from our diet.

Types of Fats In Our Food

Any meal you eat generally has the following fats and most often more than one:

• Saturated
• Polyunsaturated
• Monounsaturated
• Trans fatty acids

Saturated and trans fats are harmful because they enhance cholesterol level in the body. Higher cholesterol is a significant reason for many heart diseases and conditions such as heart attacks. Therefore, when you reduce trans-fat from your diet, you lessen the chances of getting a severe illness.

Which Foods Have Trans Fat?

The process of hydrogenation creates trans fats. Hydrogenation begins with vegetable oils. These oils are full of unsaturated fatty acids. Hydrogenation adds hydrogen molecules to the oil, which makes them saturated, and we know saturated fats are bad for the body.  Why do hydrogenate the vegetable oil? Because trans fats not only have a delicious taste but also add texture to food.

Most processed snacks are full of trans fats, such as:

• ·      French fries
• ·      Cakes
• ·      Pastries
• ·      Cookies
• ·      Donuts
• ·      Chips

To check if the food you are eating has trans fats or not, look at the label on the packaging. If hydrogenated oil (or even partly hydrogenated oil) is printed on the label, then the food has trans-fats. It is best to avoid such snacks.

Trans fats are not the only ‘bad’ fat in food. Saturated fats are equally harmful. Foods that are thick in nature like cream and butter are chock full of saturated fats. In comparison, thinner food like oils have unsaturated fats.

Which Foods Have Saturated Fats?

It is true that the body functions due to saturated fatty acids, but we need them only in small quantities. Most times, we eat (or drink) more than required. Pay attention to these items while consuming food as they are rich in saturated fats:

• a)   Cream
• b)  Whole milk
• c)   Cheese made of whole milk
• d)  Ice-Cream
• e)   Certain meats such as lamb and beef
• f)    Oils such as coconut and palm. Any oil that stays in a semi-solid state at room temperature has saturated fats.

To maintain a healthy diet, you should only consume 10% of calories from saturated fats in a day. This is easily done by switching to natural desserts like fruits instead of ice-cream. Also, favour vegetarian diet over meat.

Healthy Eating Pattern: Limit Saturated And Trans Fats

The simplest way to eat healthier and be fitter is to switch out the bad fats for the good one. It means instead of trans and saturated fats; you consume unsaturated fats which are of two kinds – polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. While unsaturated fats have the same number of calories as saturated fats, when eaten in adequate portions, they are healthy. FSSAI issues food license to the applicants who adhere to the set rules and follow them.

Which Foods Have Unsaturated Fats?

The reason FSSAI has taken the lead of removing saturated fats from food is that many, many items have good fat. The switch to healthier foods can be made quickly. Food items rich in unsaturated fats are:

• a)   Oils such as sesame, soy, olive, peanut, canola, and safflower
• b)  Nuts
• c)   Seeds
• d)  Avocados
• e)   Fish such as trout and salmon

Working towards a healthy diet takes time. Do not make the transition too rapidly. Remove one dish at a time and exchange it with a healthier one.

Slowly make tiny adjustments. For example, for evening snack make a mix of dry cereal, nuts, and seeds instead of having something fried. Another tip is to use avocado as a sandwich spread instead of a pre-packaged one.  Don’t use a spoon to put cooking oil in pans, use a sprayer? It will lessen the amount you consume.  Try other techniques too and then stick to the one that fits you best.