Why You Need to Stay Away from Trans Fats

Trans fats are fats that are formed when vegetable oils harden into margarine and shortening. Hydrogen atoms are added to the fat to make it more stable at room temperature. This process is known as hydrogenization.

Trans fats are used to enhance food, like make peanut butter creamier, and to extend the shelf life of food products by decreasing grease.

But that is about everything that trans fats are good for because this type of fat is one of the most dangerous things you can consume!

Numerous studies have revealed that trans fats increase LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while decreasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol, increase the risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke, and contribute to increased inflammation, diabetes and other health problems.

If you add just 2 percent of trans fat-based calories to your diet, you’ll increase your risk of heart disease by 23 percent, the Harvard School of Health warns.

And to make matters worse, trans fats are known as phantom fats because they can be found in a variety of different processed food products, including French fries, donuts, biscuits, pizza dough and a lot more.

Since Americans spend almost 90 percent of their food budget buying processed foods, the average person eats about six grams of trans fats per day.

Because trans fat is basically an industrial product, there are no safe levels of consumption. The American Heart Association recommends limiting trans fat intake to less than two grams per day, or zero, if possible.

Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet will help you avoid trans fats by eliminating processed foods from your diet and introducing the right kinds of fat to consume, like butter and coconut oil or olive oil for cooking.

Not all fats are bad for you. There are no studies which directly correlate the consumption of fatty foods and increased health risk. As long as you consume the right type of fats, you need not worry.

Shatter the Saturated Fat Myth with the No-Grain Diet

The no-grain diet, aside from being an effective weight loss program, also helps shatter some unhealthy and potentially dangerous myths, including that on saturated fat.

Man has been consuming saturated fats for thousands of years. All animal products, like meat, eggs and dairy, contain saturated fats as well as plant fats like coconut oil and palm oil. However, in the early 1950's, saturated fats were suddenly vilified due to a single flawed study from one Ancel Keys, who used selective data collected from six countries to spread the word that these fats contribute to heart disease and obesity.

As a result, western cultures propagated the saturated fat myth, which gradually brainwashed the public. Many doctors and dietitians have been taught this myth and they unwittingly convey it to their patients.

The food industry branded all saturated fats as unhealthy and in turn, promoted polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable, canola, soybean, safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils – the very oils that you should be avoiding – as healthy.

These polyunsaturated fats quickly turn rancid when oxidized and produce large amounts of harmful free radicals, damaging agents that accelerate aging, cause clotting, increase the risk of cancer and promote inflammation and weight gain.

Before 1900, people hardly consumed vegetable oils. Currently, the average American consumes nearly 40 pounds of fats that were originally not part of the human diet. Ironically, the increased consumption of these so-called “healthy oils” is actually making people unhealthy, Dr. Joseph Mercola points out.

The proof? Two out of three adults and one out of five children in the U.S. are obese due to grains and sugar and consumption of unsaturated fats while Mediterranean and Asian cultures who eat diets high in saturated fats have lower rates of heart disease and longer life spans.

The truth is that saturated fats are essential for optimal health, Dr. Mercola explains. Fat soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12 are best absorbed by your body in the form of saturated fats, which are converted into energy almost straight away and are not stored as fat. You can consume these saturated fats hot or cold, since they're heat resistant and can be used for cooking.

So don’t be surprised if eating a sunny side up egg fried in butter along with a thick layer of raw milk cheese and full-fat yogurt results in weight loss, while your friends on a low-fat diet laden with artificial sweeteners are struggling to get results.

Aside from weight loss, no-grain diet benefits include correcting dangerous misconceptions like the saturated fat myth. The no-grain diet will help introduce these healthy fats back into your daily menu because it’s not the amount, but the type of fat you eat that matters.