Following a low-trans fat diet can help you improve your cardiovascular functioning, lower your harmful cholesterol levels and increase your beneficial cholesterol, according to MayoClinic.com. Eating a well-balanced diet consisting of nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and whole grains will improve your overall health and lower your risks of developing chronic health ailments such as obesity and heart disease.
Processed Foods
Processed foods must be heavily monitored in a low-trans fat diet. Processed foods such as shortening and partially hydrogenated oils are traditionally high in trans fats. Processed foods most notable for containing large amounts of trans fat include commercially-prepared baked goods like snack cakes, brownies, cookies, quick breads, pastries, donuts, breads, crackers and convenience foods. Other processed foods include fast foods, deli foods, frozen foods, deep-fried foods, refrigerated dough and rolls, restaurant-prepared foods and boxed foods such as cake mixes, biscuit mixes and pasta dinners.
Food Labels
The low-trans fat diet needs to include reading food labels. Food labels reveal ingredient, nutrient and serving information that plays a vital role in any successful diet. Know that foods can still contain trans fat even though the label states "0" trans fat amounts. Food manufacturers are not required to list the fat if the product contains less than .5 g, according to MayoClinic.com. When reading the food ingredients list, know that if the list contains the words partially-hydrogenated oil, palm oil or shortening, the product contains trans fats.
Fat Alert
Some fats contain large amounts of trans fats and need to be severely restricted or avoided. A low-trans fat diet will contain little, if any, fats hardened at room temperature such as butter and/or lard. Other fats that need monitoring include gravy, bacon fat, cream sauce, nondairy creamers and cocoa butter, which is usually found in candy and chocolate. Trans fats are also commonly found in partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils, hydrogenated margarine and shortening.
Recommended Amounts
In order to determine your individual limit, you need to know how many calories you consume daily from food and beverages. Once you know this amount, limit your total trans fat calories to less than 1 percent of this figure in order to achieve the health benefits of a low-trans fat diet. Instead of depriving yourself of unhealthy foods, use this limit to monitor your intake.
Healthy Substitutes
Healthy substitutes fit into a low-trans fat diet, since avoiding trans fats is the key to a healthy diet. Instead of eating trans fat-rich foods, choose healthier options. When eating out, choose menu items marked as heart-healthy and avoid deep-fried foods usually made with trans fats. Choose foods prepared with heart-healthy cooking methods such as grilling, steaming, poaching and parboiling to save on fat and calories. Choose fresh or cooked fruits and vegetables without added cream and/or cheese sauces. Substitute plant-based oils for butter or shortening in your cooking and baking. Choosing fruits canned in juice or water instead of syrup, making low-fat versions of your favorite foods and snacking on whole fruits and vegetables instead of deep-fried potato chips will fit in with a low-trans fat diet.
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