A Donut for Your Diet? The Truth About Trans Fat

Not so long ago, saturated fat used to be a big, bad ogre.

In the 1960s, when heart disease hit its all-time high, a national campaign urged Americans to dump lard and switch to plant oils.

Fast food joints and the makers of snack foods learned that it was good business to start frying in and cooking with vegetable oil. Likewise, the makers of margarine leapt to corn and safflower oils and marketed their products as "healthy."

Granted, the oils needed to be processed to extend their shelf life and to make them solid at room temperature -- after all, who wants to drizzle corn oil on their toast or pour it over mashed potatoes?

Just add a little hydrogen and a tiny bit of magic, and voila! Trans fats.

Of course, that was before we knew about the dark side of trans fats -- and the fact that like saturated fat, these fats also are associated with heart disease and a host of other diseases.

Fats, Full Circle

Now, 40 years later, we're running away from trans fats, too, but where are we running to? For Dunkin' Donuts, the solution is a new blend of palm, soybean and cottonseed oils, a baby step in a healthy direction for a product that is still mostly sugar, flour and fat.

But the real irony is that in many foods, we've already gone full circle. Have you looked at a label lately? We're now turning back to fats that are saturated -- fats that once, and still are, associated with heart disease.

Confused? You should be! Granted, these new products are a little better than the old ones, but the sad news is that none are really great for your health.

Avoiding the Big Fat Problem

So, how can we avoid both trans fats and saturated fats?

First, choose monounsaturated oils.

We've known for years that olive oil and canola oil are the best bets. Use these oils when you cook and bake. For example, the next time you make brownies, use unhydrogenated canola oil. You likely won't taste a difference, but try it with pie crust and you might find it a bit tough.

Not a baker, and want to pick something healthful off the shelf? That's a bit tough too; almost all packaged cookies and pastries are back to using saturated fats. Bring on the heart attack!