This section includes expert advice on food & nutrition in infants and children. Expert articles are brought to you by regular columist Leanne Cooper, nutritionist, mother of two and director of Sneakys website. More children's nutrition articles can be found here.

Author Leanne Cooper with her boys

Trans fats are the real ‘bad guys’

What exactly is a trans fat acid?

Trans fats are rare in nature; their straighter make-up makes them less pliable and our bodies don’t handle them very well. Trans fats alter blood cholesterol in the same way that saturated fat does. Several Australian and international health agencies, including the NHMRC and the National Heart Foundation, have concluded that trans fats should be regarded as equivalent to saturated fats when it comes to preventing coronary heart disease.

Where are they found?

In nature, trans fats can be found in rumen, in other words cows and sheep; hence there are small amounts in the fat-containing products from these animals (milk and cheese) and in their flesh. However, it seems that the naturally occurring versions don’t bring with them the same problems. The trans fats that we need to be concerned about are those made through food processing. Such trans fats are in deep-fried food (due to the temperature applied to the fat or oil), margarine and processed foods made with margarine or shortening (such as cakes, donuts, buns, foods with pastry etc). Other foods that notoriously contain trans fats include processed meats such as salami, and any food that contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oils as an ingredient, such as some crackers and biscuits.

Foods that list partially hydrogenated oils among their first three ingredients usually contain substantial amounts of trans fats as well as saturated fat. According to recent labelling laws, manufacturers are required to include the amount of trans fats (if any) present in foods where they have made a nutritional claim in relation to cholesterol or fatty acids.

What do trans fats do that’s so bad?

How can you avoid them?

• If you choose to eat margarine, opt for brands that note less then 1% trans fats on the label and are also low in saturated fat
• Limit the amount and regularity of takeaway food and deep-fried food
• Reduce packaged foods
• Limit cakes, biscuits, donuts etc. or avoid all together (I am still horrified by the chaps who hop on flights with boxes of free donuts)
• Limit your intake of processed meats such as salami
• Reduce foods with ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially hydrogenated’ vegetable oil as an ingredient
• Opt for natural spreads made from original whole foods; for example, 100% almond paste, avocado, hummus, banana and so on

Does it sound like you are being denied all the tasty food? That’s what fat does: it makes food tasty and feel good in our mouths – but at what cost?

The great ‘to marg or not to marg’ debate

Where is the logic in making a new food such as margarine, which would not be in our diets if it weren’t for technology, to help lower cholesterol from a naturally occurring oil which, if eaten originally, ultimately could provide protective health benefits? You might like to look at the Mediterranean diet (in the Food Pyramid tip sheet) and see just how healthy oils can be. Personally, I think this logic may be one of the causes of our increasing waistlines.

I agree withChoice (the Australian Consumer Watchdog) who recommends that we eat as few trans fats as possible.

Sometimes health authorities brush aside the risk from trans fat on the grounds that we eat a lot less of it than saturated fat. But the US National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine has suggested that the only safe level of trans fat is zero and that we should eat as little as possible consistent with a healthy, balanced diet. Read more at: http://www.choice.com.au/viewarticleasonepage.aspx?id=104658&catId=100289&tid=100008&p=1

Levels of just 2% of trans fats (of our total energy intake) appear to significantly affect health. Some European countries have banned foods with more than 2% of trans fat in the total fat content while other countries have introduced strict labelling laws where any level of trans fats must be indicated.

Sadly, in Australia and New Zealand manufacturers are not required to note the presence of trans fats in their products unless they make a claim about cholesterol or fatty acids. No claim, no information!

So let’s consider some of the great research Choice has conducted on fatty foods; it might just change the way you think about that Friday night takeaway, or at least what you order…

CHOICE tested 55 foods including deep-fried fast foods, takeaways, biscuits, cakes and more. The results looked at total fat, saturated fat and those dreaded trans fats. Eighteen of the tested foods would be banned in some countries due to the presence of 2% or more trans fats (of their total fat content). Listed in order of those with the greatest levels to those with the least, they include:

• HUNGRY JACK’S Whopper and Regular Fries
• MANNA Pastry From Heaven Oyster Cases
• HERBERT ADAMS Traditional Pasties
• ERICA’S KITCHEN Vol au Vents
• PAMPAS Shortcrust Pastry
• McDONALD’S McNuggets (six pieces) and Medium Fries
• McDONALD’S Big Mac and Medium Fries
• SARGENTS Party Sausage Rolls
• HOME BRAND Croissants
• FOUR ‘N TWENTY Traditional Meat Pie
• SARA LEE Snack Quiche Lorraine
• NUTELLA Hazelnut Spread
• RITZ Cheese Crackers
• COLES SAVINGS Croissants
• BALFOURS Giant Sausage Roll
• BURNS & RICKER Bagel Crisps
• WOOLWORTHS Fresh Caramel Slice
• PODS With Snickers

NB: CHOICE noted that ‘Not all brands of these products necessarily have unacceptably high levels of trans fat, but unless it’s on the label you can’t tell.’ They also noted that there are a number of cases where some manufacturers had produced similar products but with far lower levels of trans fat.

So now let’s look at fast food and trans fat

Table 1 Types of fat as % of total fat (Ref:1)

Table notes
1 Types of fat
This shows the breakdown of saturated, trans and other fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) that together make up the total fat content of the food. Any of these fast foods whose trans fat content is more than 2% of the total fat wouldn’t be allowed on sale in Denmark. On the other hand, of the fast foods we looked at, those that are lower in trans fat are higher in saturated.
We analysed the fat from one of each of the fast foods bought from outlets in Sydney.

2 Overall fat content of food
This shows what percentage of the whole food is fat. 10% or more is generally considered high-fat.

This article last reviewed April 2005. © 1998 - 2005 Australian Consumers' Association

For more information on this report you can contact: ausconsumer@choice.com.au. 57 Carrington Road, Marrickville, NSW, 2204. Tel : +61 2 9577 3399 | Fax : +61 2 9577 3377

I hope you have enjoyed this foray into trans fats. Remember to eat a wide variety of healthy whole foods, enjoy your food rather than count or labour over it, and stay active!
Leanne Cooper

Created by Leanne Cooper © 2008.