by Meagan Barrett ‘15

1.What are trans fats?

The term “trans fat” is short for trans fatty acids. These are unsaturated fatty acids that have been manufactured through the process known as hydrogenation, which is adding hydrogen to substances. This gives substances like margarine and cooking oils a longer shelf life, and makes them feel less greasy. These types of acids are found in foods such as margarine, fast foods, commercial baked goods, such as donuts, processed foods and fried foods.

2.Why are they bad?

There are no positive health benefits that come from eating trans fats. They are considered by most doctors to be the worst type of fat; not only do they clog arteries, but they raise your “bad” cholesterol (LDL), and lower your “good” cholesterol (HDL). High LDL cholesterol, combined with low HDL cholesterol, raises a person’s risk of getting heart disease, a leading cause of death  in the United States.

3. What exactly does the ban entail?

The FDA has proposed a ban on all artificial trans fats from American food supplies. This is expected to save potentially billions of dollars in medical costs as well an estimated 20,000 lives. It also eliminates a loophole in the existing health laws which allows manufacturers to list trans fats as zero even if they contain less than half a gram. The proposal was made public the first week of November, and a 60-day grace period has been established before they will know when exactly the ban will officially go into effect. The current goal is for all trans fats to be gone within six months to a year from this past November.

4.How can you avoid them?

The best way to start avoiding trans fats is by reading the labels on foods. Since January of 2006, companies have been required to list if trans fats are used in their products. Other methods include cutting back completely on manufactured and commercial foods such as snack foods, using liquid vegetable oils for cooking that contain very little fat, using all-natural peanut butter, and – if choosing foods which are trans-fat free isn’t an option – choosing foods which list trans fats very near the bottom of the label.

5.Will you taste the difference?

It’s expected that consumers won’t notice the difference in taste, despite the healthier content of their food. Approximately 75 percent of trans fats have already been eradicated from fast food oils, as well as products like Oreos. Chances are, if you haven’t already noticed the change, you won’t notice when it is official.