For the past year or two, trans fat foods have been in the spotlight of an unhealthy diet. The numerous negative consequences they effect out body with have caught the eye of health administrations. On January 1st, 2006, listing trans fat became required on all food labels that contain it.

So what is a trans fat food? Well, it is a food with fat produced when manufacturer's add hydrogen to vegetable oil. This process is called hydrogenation. They use this process to increase the shelf life of products as well as keep the flavor longer in foods that contain trans fats.

Examples of trans fat foods are vegetable shortenings, margarine's, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and foods fried in hydrogenated oils. The majority of trans fat foods are formed when manufacturers turn liquid fats into solid fats. There are only a small amount of trans fats found in foods naturally. These foods are primarily animal based foods.

The trans fats are related to many negative side effects. Like saturated fat and cholesterol, trans fat is know to raise LDL cholesterol. High LDL, or "bad cholesterol", levels are known to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. There are indications that trans fat

• Archives of Neurology have published a study suggesting the intake of trans fat will promote the development of Alzheimer disease.
• Even though not determined yet, studies by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition has found connections between trans fat, prostate, and breast cancer.
• With type 2 diabetes becoming more and more of a problem especially in the US, we have to consider any food that increases chance for obesity will increase the chance for this health issue. Of course, eating too much trans fats will help lead to obesity.
• Trans fatty foods are metabolized differently by the liver than other fats. The process interferes with important enzymes involved in converting essential fatty acids into substances that functioning cells require like arachidonic acid.
• A study posted in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007 found, "Each 2% increase in the intake of energy from trans unsaturated fats, as opposed to that from carbohydrates, was associated with a 73% greater risk of ovulatory infertility."

You might be thinking, what can I do to prevent to much consumption of trans fat foods? Here are some tips from the FDA to help keep your consumption down:

1. Check the nutrition label and compare foods. Make sure not to skip over the serving size portion. Choose foods lower in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol. For saturated fat and cholesterol, keep in mind that 5 percent of the Daily Value or less is low and 20 percent is high.
2. Replace saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are great for the body and will help lower LDL cholesterol levels along with many other health benefits.
3. Use vegetable oils and soft margarine's. The combined amount of saturated fat and trans fat is usually lower in oils than the solid forms like margarine's and shortenings.
4. Eat some fish. Fish are usually low in saturated fat and high in our good fats. They contain a lot of omega 3 fatty acids which have shown to protect against heart disease. Some good fish to have are mackerel, sardines, salmon, and tuna.
5. Choose lean meats like chicken. Don't eat the skin and choose lean beef and pork. Stay away from frying foods.
6. Limit foods high in cholesterol like egg yolks, full-fat dairy products, or organ meats like liver.
7. When eating out, ask before you order. You can always ask the waiter/waitress about which fats are being used to prepare your food.

Remember to enjoy your food, but be smart.

So is there a magic food out there to help lose weight. It all takes the right balance of foods to get the results you want. Read more fitness and nutrition articles from my blog, Go Healthy Fitness.