Top 10 Foods With Trans Fats

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Top 10 Foods With Trans Fats

Become a better shopper -- learn to avoid the foods high in trans fats.

Originally published July 10, 2003.

 

Medically updated May 21, 2004.

 

 

By Jeanie Lerche Davis

 

 

Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson, MD

WebMD Feature

 

 

If you're like most people, you're probably confused about trans fats.

Which foods have them, and which don't? Which are the worst foods, which

are the best?

 

Print out this list to become a wiser, safer shopper. And remember to check

the food labels. Manufacturers will probably begin reducing the amount of

trans fats in packaged foods during the next few years, so this information

may change.

 

The Top 10 " Trans Fat " Foods:

 

 

1. Spreads. Margarine is a twisted sister -- it's loaded with trans fats

and saturated fats, both of which can lead to heart disease. Other

non-butter spreads and shortening also contain large amounts of trans fat

and saturated fat:

 

Stick margarine has 2.8 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 2.1 grams of

saturated fat.

Tub margarine has 0.6 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 1.2 grams of

saturated fat.

Shortening has 4.2 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 3.4 grams of

saturated fat.

Butter has 0.3 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 7.2 grams of

saturated fat.

Tip: Look for soft-tub margarine, because it is less likely to have trans

fat. Some margarines already say that on the packaging.

 

 

[important note: When you cook with margarine or shortening, you will not

increase the amount of trans fat in food, says Moore. Cooking is not the

same as the hydrogenation process. " Margarine and shortening are already

bad, but you won't make them any worse. " ]

 

 

2. Packaged foods. Cake mixes, Bisquick, and other mixes all have several

grams of trans fat per serving.

 

 

Tip: Add flour and baking powder to your grocery list; do-it-yourself

baking is about your only option right now, says Moore. Or watch for

reduced-fat mixes.

 

Next: The Worst Soups and the Best Pies

 

 

 

3. Soups. Ramen noodles and soup cups contain very high levels of trans fat.

 

 

Tip: Get out the crock-pot and recipe book. Or try the fat-free and

reduced-fat canned soups.

 

 

4. Fast Food. Bad news here: Fries, chicken, and other foods are deep-fried

in partially hydrogenated oil. Even if the chains use liquid oil, fries are

sometimes partially fried in trans fat before they're shipped to the

restaurant. Pancakes and grilled sandwiches also have some trans fat, from

margarine slathered on the grill.

 

 

Examples:

 

Fries (a medium order) contain 14.5 grams.

A KFC Original Recipe chicken dinner has 7 grams, mostly from the chicken

and biscuit.

Burger King Dutch Apple Pie has 2 grams.

 

Tip: Order your meat broiled or baked. Skip the pie. Forget the biscuit.

Skip the fries -- or share them with many friends.

 

 

5. Frozen Food. Those yummy frozen pies, pot pies, waffles, pizzas, even

breaded fish sticks contain trans fat. Even if the label says it's low-fat,

it still has trans fat.

 

Mrs. Smith's Apple Pie has 4 grams trans fat in every delicious slice.

Swanson Potato Topped Chicken Pot Pie has 1 gram trans fat.

Banquet Chicken Pot Pie has no trans fat.

 

Tip: In frozen foods, baked is always heart-healthier than breaded. Even

vegetable pizzas aren't flawless; they likely have trans fat in the dough.

Pot pies are often loaded with too much saturated fat, even if they have no

trans fat, so forget about it.

 

 

6. Baked Goods. Even worse news -- more trans fats are used in commercially

baked products than any other foods. Doughnuts contain shortening in the

dough and are cooked in trans fat.

 

 

Cookies and cakes (with shortening-based frostings) from supermarket

bakeries have plenty of trans fat. Some higher-quality baked goods use

butter instead of margarine, so they contain less trans fat, but more

saturated fat.

 

Donuts have about 5 grams of trans fat apiece, and nearly 5 grams of

saturated fat.

Cream-filled cookies have 1.9 grams of trans fat, and 1.2 grams of

saturated fat.

Pound cake has 4.3 grams of trans fat per slice, and 3.4 grams of saturated

fat.

 

Tip: Get back to old-fashioned home cooking again. If you bake, use

fat-substitute baking products, or just cut back on the bad ingredients,

says Moore. Don't use the two sticks of butter or margarine the recipe

calls for two. Try using one stick and a fat-free baking product.

 

Next: Which Snacks and Candies are Safest?

 

 

 

7. Chips and Crackers. Shortening provides crispy texture. Even " reduced

fat " brands can still have trans fat. Anything fried (like potato chips and

corn chips) or buttery crackers have trans fat.

 

A small bag of potato chips has 3.2 grams of trans fat.

Nabisco Original Wheat Thins Baked Crackers have 2 grams in a 16-cracker

serving.

Sunshine Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers have 1.5 grams per 27 crackers.

 

Tip: Think pretzels, toast, pita bread. Actually, pita bread with a little

tomato sauce and low-fat cheese tastes pretty good after a few minutes in

the toaster oven.

 

 

8. Breakfast food. Breakfast cereal and energy bars are quick-fix, highly

processed products that contain trans fats, even those that claim to be

" healthy. "

 

Kellogg's Cracklin' Oat Bran Cereal has 1.5 grams per 3/4 cup serving.

Post Selects Great Grains has 1 gram trans fat per 1/2 cup serving.

General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal has .5 grams per 3/4 cup serving.

Quaker Chewy Low Fat Granola Bars Chocolate Chunk has .5 grams trans fat.

 

Tip: Whole-wheat toast, bagels, and many cereals don't have much fat.

Cereals with nuts do contain fat, but it's healthy fat.

 

 

9. Cookies and Candy. Look at the labels; some have higher fat content than

others. A chocolate bar with nuts -- or a cookie -- is likely to have more

trans fat than gummy bears.

 

 

Nabisco Chips Ahoy! Real Chocolate Chip Cookies have 1.5 grams per 3

cookies. If you plow through a few handfuls of those, you've put away a

good amount of trans fat.

 

Tip: Gummy bears or jelly beans win, hands down. If you must have

chocolate, get dark chocolate -- since it's been shown to have redeeming

heart-healthy virtues.

 

 

10. Toppings and Dips. Nondairy creamers and flavored coffees, whipped

toppings, bean dips, gravy mixes, and salad dressings contain lots of trans

fat.

 

 

Tip: Use skim milk or powdered nonfat dry milk in coffee. Keep an eye out

for fat-free products of all types. As for salad dressings, choose fat-free

there, too -- or opt for old-fashioned oil-and-vinegar dressing. Natural

oils such as olive oil and canola oil don't contain trans fat.

 

 

Can you eliminate trans fats entirely your diet? Probably not. Even the

esteemed National Academy of Sciences stated last year that such a laudable

goal is not possible or realistic.

 

 

Instead, take this suggestion from Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of

nutrition therapy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation: " The goal is to have

as little trans fat in your diet as possible. " You're not eliminating trans

fats entirely, but you're certainly cutting back. "

 

-

 

 

SOURCES: Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of nutrition therapy at the

Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Consumer Reports: " Bad fats in common foods. "

FDA: " Questions and Answers about Trans Fat Nutrition Labeling. "