As a consumer today you no doubt have seen the marketing campaigns and labels that say 0 grams “Trans Fat.” So what is trans fat and what does that really mean. Well good question, because most people don’t really know.
Trans fat is really just another name for an unsaturated fat that contains trans-isomer fatty acids. So to start out, there are two type of fats. Saturated fats which are typically found in processed foods and animal products and unsaturated fats which are typically found in nature and in foods such as nuts, olives and avocados. These unsaturated fats are generally referred to as good fats and can actually help certain aspects of health. Another easy way to distinguish the two fats is a saturated fat is solid at room temperature and an unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature, which also give you a pretty good picture of what that particular fat is going to do once inside your body.
Now, onto the Trans part, this is where it gets a little more interesting. Trans fat or “trans fatty acids” are not naturally occurring at all although technically classified as an unsaturated fat. It is manufactured in a lab by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils to make them more solid in a process called hydrogenation. Read More