HEALTH

While you’ll still find trans fat naturally in oils, meat and dairy, after 2018, you’ll find that your baked goods and snack foods will be trans fat-free. And even though Americans have been eating less and less trans fat over the years, the ban is going to do a whole lot of good. The FDA estimates that over the next two decades their ban on trans fat will prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 heart disease-related deaths a year. If that isn’t reason enough to crack down on trans fat, then we don’t know what is. 

Looking to rid your diet of trans fat before 2018? It’s time to start reading food labels carefully. In the US, if a food has less than .5 grams trans fat, the company can label the food as having no trans fat at all. Because this hidden trans fat can add up, always check the ingredient list as well—if your snack contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, it contains trans fat even if the nutritional info says otherwise. Remember, though, not all fat is bad: monounsaturated fat or unsaturated omegy-3 fatty acids can be an essential part of your diet.

 What do you think of the FDA's trans fat ban? How do you try to maintain a healthy diet? Let us know.

Credit: FDA 

by Mallory Walker | 2/1/2016