10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

THE SKINNY ON FATS
By Nurse Practitioner Norma Stephens Hannigan

Ah, we made it through another fruitcake-, stuffing-, minced meat pie-filled holiday season. So, time to take stock and try to stick to all those resolutions we made again. This has been the year of trans fats. Suddenly, every food package is screaming “NO TRANS FATS” at us as though it was something we should be happy about. And then there are the old saturated fats, which we’ve been hearing about for years. If you’ve got a bit confused about what is good and what is bad, here is the “skinny” on fats.

Trans fats are those fats created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in the manufacturing process to make it firmer, more textured and flavorful. For years, as you sat at the kitchen table idly looking at lists of ingredients on food containers, you might have noticed the term “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils—that’s the ingredient we now know as trans fat. The reason food manufacturers do this is because the hydrogenation process keeps the product more stable and, therefore, it has a longer shelf life. Saturated fats are those that occur naturally in animal products like red meat and chicken, or oils like palm and coconut. Some meats and dairy products contain small amounts of trans fats.

The problem with trans fats and saturated fats are that they increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the bad one). Not only do trans fats increase the bad cholesterol, they decrease HDL, the good cholesterol (we call it “good” because it actually protects the heart). Trans fats contribute to inflammation inside the blood vessels, making blood clots more likely. When we have too much bad cholesterol, the arteries (the blood vessels that carry oxygen-containing blood to the tissues) can get clogged. When they get clogged with fat, or if a blood clot forms, oxygen cannot travel to its target, so the tissues begin to die. If this sinister situation is occurring in your heart, it can cause a heart attack. If it happens in your brain, you may have a stroke. If it’s happening in the arteries of the legs, you may develop leg cramps, inability to walk or lose a limb. About 500,000 people in the U.S. die each year from heart disease, and high LDL cholesterol is a major contributor to this death rate. Trans fats also contribute to the development of diabetes because they don’t allow the insulin that helps our bodies use food correctly to do its job.

So, where do these trans fats lurk? The biggest offenders are cakes, pies, breads and processed foods, according to the FDA. Fast foods have long been a major player, especially french fries that are deep fried. Stick margarine has more trans fat than soft margarine—the hydrogenated oil is what makes it solid.

Unfortunately, we can’t just stop eating fat altogether. Fat is necessary for energy and for absorbing certain vitamins. Fat is what gives food more flavor (how unfair!) and one of the factors that makes us feel full when we eat. And there are good fats. The polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats—olive oil, canola oil, safflower, to name just a few—are better for us because they don’t raise the bad cholesterol. Since January 1, 2006, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has made it a requirement that food labels include information about trans fat (saturated fat and cholesterol have been listed since 1993). Trans fat and saturated fat are the two biggest culprits when it comes to causing heart disease.

The solution, then, is to read the nutrition information on food labels and in restaurants whenever you can and choose the healthier alternative. I know, that sounds like a drag, especially when you’re on the road and have a deadline to meet. But, the information doesn’t change from one McDonald’s to the next, so if you read it once, it’s done. When you’re shopping for food, lower fat foods are better, but beyond that, you want to check the type of fat. Zero trans fat is great, but a product low in saturated fat is also better for you. You may notice that a product label will proudly announce “0 Trans Fat!” but have “partially hydrogenated oil” on its list of ingredients. The government allows food companies to advertise that way as long as the product has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat in it. Product labels must contain information regarding total fat, which is then broken down into saturated fat, mono- and poly-unsaturated fat and trans fat. Choosing the foods lowest in trans fats and saturated fats is the wisest choice if you want to prevent heart disease. If you have to choose between saturated fat and trans fat, go with the saturated fat. Although it is not ideal, it is not as bad for us as trans fat. The best choice is the food with monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

Because obesity is now an epidemic in the United States, and heart disease kills one in three people, a few places around the country are now banning trans fats in restaurants—New York City, for example, just passed a law that restaurants can no longer cook with trans fats. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Chicago, and Louisville, Kentucky have all proposed similar legislation. By June 2007, the Loews hotel chain will have banished trans fats from their kitchens and guest mini-bars. Universal Studios Parks swore off trans fats on Christmas Eve, Starbuck’s went cold turkey on January 3rd, and Denmark (the whole country) banned them two years ago.

So, as I said in my first column in February of 2003, “It’s time to get on the highway to better health!” A few simple food choices could make a world of difference in decreasing your risk for heart disease in this new year, and for those to come. Get out of the fat lane and start living in the fast lane while you still can.

~ Norma Stephens Hannigan is a Family Nurse Practitioner with many years of experience treating truck drivers. She currently writes from her home in Union City, New Jersey.