I have friends who binge all the time on deep fried chips/wafers.. Its their way to satisfy their hunger. I asked them if they were aware that of why these chips feel scrumptious and crispy. Their reply was who cares we are just happy that it tastes so good.

This is not the case with only my friends, most people never bother to find out what the chips is made of, what goes into make it so tasty and crispy. Instead of creating nutrition awareness, the gimmicks around it entice people and children to buy these crispies.

Nutritional labels are overlooked. Many people don’t know how to read the nutritional label and what do the fancy ingredients mean? Even if they know they will only look for major component such as carbs, proteins, fat what about the breakdown of these macro nutrients like sugars/fiber comes under carbs.

Likewise, saturated fats/trans fat/MUFA/PUFA is also part of the Fat group. These lip smacking wafers which most people and kids gorge on area red alert for your heart! That’s because of the TRANS FAT (Bad fat). Caution- It’s a major enemy of heart!

First let’s understand what is trans fat??

Most trans fat are artificially synthesized through an industrial process that adds hydrogen molecule to vegetable oil, which causes the oil to become solid at room temperature. This partially hydrogenated oil is less likely to spoil, so foods made with it have a longer shelf life. Some restaurants use partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in their deep fryers, because it doesn’t have to be changed as often as do other oils. These fats are used in making c akes/pastries/puffs/rolls, margarine, doughnuts/wafers/chip/butter/margarine etc which provides empty calories (only calories and no nutrients).

Trans fat are inexpensive and gives a desired texture and taste to the item. (yes, you got it right.. the secret behind all these irresistible things is TRANS FATS!).

What does this trans fat do in the body?

Trans fat gets deposited in the arteries making them clogged. Clogged arteries are a sign of heart disease; they increase your risk of both heart attack and stroke. Here’s how it works: Trans fats raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol levels. This contributes to the buildup of fatty plaque in arteries and lowering of your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2diabetes by increasing insulin resistance!

How can you limit your intake of Trans Fat?

Checking the nutrition label is very important.. When the Nutrition Facts label says a food contains 0 g of trans fat, but includes partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list, it means the food contains trans fat, but less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.  The daily limit intake of trans fat should be zero. If you are buying any fod packet, please check the nutritional label for trans fat.

Here are some alternative to Trans fat:

• Keep the usage of butter/margarine at bay. Instead use ghar ka desi Ghee. 🙂
• Choose to eat foods that contain healthier fats, such as nuts ( walnuts and almonds), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon, flax seeds), olives and avocados.
• Opt for Rice bran oil, Oilve oil, Soyabean oil and mustard oil. They are a good source of MUFA (good quality fat)
• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products and lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry. Keep red meat at bay.
• Get plenty of foods that are naturally low in fat and high on fiber, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

So, next time when you grab a packet of chips or wafers, remember the above points.