The Secret Ingredient In Processed Foods Which Is Keeping You Overweight

Over the last 50 years the way our food is delivered to us has transformed rapidly. The popularity of fast and convenient foods, as well as food processing methods have also advanced.

One of these advancements is the development of something called trans fat.

What exactly is trans fat?

Well, trans fat is an artificially manufactured fat which is commonly used in food processing. Why? Mainly because it's cheaper and significantly prolongs the shelf life of the processed foods it’s often used in.

However, it’s not only used in processed “junk” foods.

It’s also commonly used in restaurants, mass produced bakery items, and fast food restaurants because of the longer shelf life it can deliver.

If you're familiar with margarine then you're familiar with trans fat – this is one of the many products you’ll find trans fat in.

Did you know that trans fat has been clinically proven to cause weight gain, even when the participants were consuming a diet that didn't include enough calories to maintain their weight?

This is just one of the reasons to avoid foods with trans fat – especially if you’re aiming to lose some extra pounds.

Trans fat not only triggers weight gain but it causes fat stored throughout the body to be transferred to the abdominal region – which may account for “spot” weight gain, which means gaining weight in a specific area of the body. Usually the stomach area.

But it doesn’t end there.

The consumption of trans fats can also lead to chronic inflammation which can inhibit the your body's ability to produce appetite controlling neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine.

Trans fat can also slow down the ability of muscle cells to use glucose as an energy source. When these muscle cells can't use glucose, it stays in the blood sugar and levels dramatically increase, resulting in surges of insulin and increased fat storage.

Trans fat has been linked to increasing risks of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. It also weakens the immune system by reducing the body's ability to fight viruses.

Okay, so I’m sure I’ve said enough to scare you off from trans fat. But this is all true, according to our research.

So why is trans fat still used in food, despite these obvious drawbacks?

Unfortunately, food manufacturers are resistant to stop using trans fat in food processing.

The US Department of Agriculture estimates that over 42,000 foods still contain trans fat and that 40% of all prepared foods still contain trans fat.

However, something has been done about this to some degree. New labeling by the FDA was supposed to highlight foods that contain trans fat, but there's a loophole. As long as the food contains less than 500 mg per serving, the labeling can claim that the food has zero trans fat.

But 500 mg per serving in each of 3 meals a day can lead to significant levels of consumption of trans fat.

Don't be misled by the claim of "zero trans fat." Check the labeling for partially hydrogenated oils, hydrogenated oils or vegetable shortening, those are all trans fat.

An easy way to check to see the grams of trans fat truly in a product is to add together the grams of saturated fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat grams.

If the total grams of fat listed on the nutritional label are greater than the total of those three fats, the difference is trans fat.

Natural food stores like Wild Oats have stopped stocking any foods with trans fat and several manufacturers have dropped trans fat as an ingredient or greatly reduced their use – which is certainly some positive action against trans fat invading our diets.

It’s a very good idea to eliminate (or as close to removing) trans fat from your diet.

Not only is it a much healthier option, but you’re sure to feel much better, as well as lose weight easier. Unfortunately, these trans fats are still in foods – probably foods you have in your house right now.

So if you’re aiming to lose weight, make sure to check the nutritional labels (as we described earlier). And in future, you will be able to avoid buying foods which contain this substance.