Distinguishing Between Bad and Good Fats

We found some useful information about trans-fat foods in articles from msnbc.com and americanheart.org about cardiac concerns. Here is an extract about trans-fats:

"Eating trans fat foods raises your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lowers your good (HDL) levels, increasing your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It's best to avoid foods containing these heart damagers altogether. Here's how to do it:

* Don't be tricked into eating the "lesser" of two evils. As "trans fats" gained a bad rap over the last few years, food manufacturers responded by replacing hydrogenated vegetable oils with tropical oils. The problem? Oils made from palm, coconut, and palm kernel might not be manipulated with hydrogen as trans fats are, but they are still astronomically high in saturated fat, another artery clogger. Perhaps even more alarming, the sudden demand for palm oil is having a devastating effect on the planet. In Southeast Asia, carbon-absorbing forests and peat lands are being leveled, burned, and drained to make room for palm plantations, unleashing stored greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere.

* Be a label skeptic. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1 percent of your total daily calories come from trans fats, which for the average adult means less than about two grams. The easy way to avoid trans fats foods is to give up on processed foods. If you must buy packaged foods, check the ingredient labels and look for those made with canola or other nonhydrogenated vegetable oils, such as soybean oil. Just be sure to buy organic... most conventional canola and soy are grown using genetically modified seeds, which haven't been proven to be safe."

Click on the following link to learn how to recognize bad and good fats: americanheart.org