Worst Transfat-Free Foods

Manufacturers use transfat to extend the shelf life of processed foods and for cooking fried foods. Transfat can clog your arteries and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends you limit transfat in your diet to less than 2 g per day. Many cities, including New York City, have banned the sale of restaurant food with transfats. But transfat-free food also can be unhealthy.

Processed Foods

Just because a food label says the product is transfat-free does not mean it contains 0 g of transfats. The Food and Drug Administration allows food to be labeled transfat-free if it contains less than 0.5 g of transfat. Eating a large quantity of a particular food or a combination of products that contain small amounts of transfats can increase your total intake of transfats and may increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Processed foods such as baked goods, icing, margarine and microwave popcorn that use partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, another term for transfats, also may increase your intake of transfats. Research by scientists at Kansas State University published in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" in 2010 reports that increasing your calorie intake from transfats by 2 percent is associated with a 23 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The scientists also report that small amounts of transfat in hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils and food products probably cause many Americans to exceed the 2 g maximum recommended by the American Heart Association.

Palmitic Acid

Eating transfat-free foods that contain palmitic acid may be bad for your health. Palmitic acid is a saturated fat found in meat and dairy products as well as palm oil used in some processed food products. Research by scientists at Maastricht University in The Netherlands published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2008 found eating foods with palmitic acid results in higher levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol.

Doughnuts

Doughnuts, even if fried in oil that does not contain transfats, are among the worst foods you can eat. Doughnuts are made with refined flour, which is less nutritious than whole grains. They are fried in oil, which adds calories. Manufacturers often spray doughnuts with icing that contains sugar or sprinkle them with powdered sugar, adding more calories.

Potato Chips

Potato chips are often fried in oil. Cooking potatoes at high temperatures can form acrylamides, chemicals that may increase your risk of cancer, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Packaged potato chips often contain excess sodium, a risk factor for high blood pressure and stroke.