Rosalee Brown
MANY JAMAICANS are becoming much more health conscious and are reading food labels as a rule before they shop. I asked a few persons what they look for on a food label and some reported that they looked for calories, others said total fat.
There will be an addition to the nutrition panel of foods coming out of the United States of America, and that is trans fat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its regulations on nutrition labelling to require that trans-fatty acids be declared in the nutrition label of conventional foods and dietary supplements on a separate line, immediately under the line for the declaration of saturated fatty acids. Many labels are already carrying this information, since the deadline for this inclusion is January 2006.
I asked a few label-reading persons if they knew what trans fats were and they reported that it was a fat that is bad for you, but they would not be able to use the information on the food label to their advantage.
What are trans fats?
Trans fats are created in the manufacturing process of changing liquid vegetable oil to a hard product like hard margarine and shortening. This hard product has many advantages to manufacturers, as they lengthen the shelf life of the products they are used in; for example hydrogenated fat helps to keep crackers crispy for a long time.
These hydrogenated fats can be found in many processed foods, baked goods, candies, commercially-prepared fish sticks, energy/nutrition bars and even microwave popcorns.
DISADVANTAGES
Scientific evidence shows that the consumption of saturated fat, dietary cholesterol and trans-fatty acids increases your risk of coronary heart disease by increasing blood levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterols. Other studies have also shown that trans fats are even worst than saturated fat in terms of being a heart disease risk, as they not only increase LDL cholesterols, but they reduce high density lipoproteins (HDL) - the good cholesterols which protect against heart disease.
WHAT TO DO
Eat more unprocessed foods.
Limit foods with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats.
Eat foods which are richer in monosaturated fats such as olive oils, avocados and polyunsaturated fats, such as nuts and fish, in moderation, as fats are a healthful part of the diet.
Read food labels, the updated nutrition panel will list the amount of trans fat in a product, it will not, however, show a per cent daily value, as the scientific reports have not provided a value for trans fat which the FDA can use to establish a daily reference value.
When you read food labels, use the rule of thumb for saturated fat as a guide, that is, five per cent or less is low and 20 per cent or more is high.
Parents feed your children less processed foods, as they will be eating trans fats for more years than you, and so will be at an even greater risk for cardiovascular diseases.
Many of your favourite foods will have saturated fats and trans fats, but if you do consume them, do so infrequently and in small amounts.
Limiting total fats, saturated fats, cholesterol and trans fats should be just one of the measures to a healthy lifestyle. Continue to consume a wide variety of foods from plant sources, including those with colourful pigmentation, have sodium and sugars in moderation, and limit total calories as this can lead to excess body fat, which is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. Move daily for fun to keep your body fat low, among the other benefits.
Rosalee Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
