Trans fat as once thought to be a healthy replacement to all saturated fat in butter and cream, it is now implicated for increasing the risk of heart disease. It comes from hydrogenated vegetable oil. It is formed when liquid vegetable oils undergo a chemical process called hydrogenation. Think of it as turning liquid oil into solid fat.



This process raises the melting point of oils and makes them more stable for manufacturing. Trans fat can enhance the texture of processed food. Cookies made from trans fat tend to be more crunchy and crispy. This texture is not easy to copy in home baking without the use of trans fat. But more importantly, products manufactured using this artificial fat, tend to stay fresh longer. This is one important benefit for manufacturers.

Many MNCs that are more aware of the issue have developed new recipes that do not use non-hydrogenated vegetable oil. This has cut down the amount of trans fat in these food to insignificant amounts. Palm oil and butter are now considered good alternatives to using hydrogenated vegetable oil.

In the 1960s, it was hailed as a healthier replacement to butter and animal fat. But today it is entirely the reverse. It is just so ironic to think that alternatives such as palm and coconut oil, which historically have been viewed as artery-clogging are now the healthier choices!

Saturated fat, while not exactly healthy, is now a healthier replacement for trans fat. Polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat are by far the healthiest amongst them all. Ultimately, the healthiest choices are fresh and unprocessed food but knowing the busy lifestyles that we all have, it is almost impossible not to depend on such "instant" food.

So look out for trans fat on your food nutrition labels and make sure you do not consume more than 2g per day.

Cookies, french fries, fried food, baked food, snack food, margarine and many other processed food contain trans fat. A small amount of it is found in animal based food such as milk and meat. A normal person should not take more than 2 g of fat based on the World Health Organisation recommendation. Trans fat is bad because it lowers the good cholesterol and raises the bad cholesterol.

Some tips to reduce trans fat in your diet.

1. Cut down on fast food.

2. Cut down on cookies and crackers.

3. Do not re-use oil. Kepp deep frying to a minimum

4. Read labels and make sure trans fat is at a minimum. Also look out for labels that state partially hydrogenated oil or hydrogenated oil.

5. Replace trans fat and saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat such as oilve oil. Some fish such as tuna has lots of omega-3 fat, a form of polyunsaturated fat.

6. Eat less fatty meat.

7. Occasionally, replace meat with more vegetables.