The National Institute of Nutrition and The Canadian Dietetic Association both agree that total fat intake and, in particular, saturated fat can contribute to higher blood cholesterol levels in some people. In order to reduce your blood cholesterol levels, you need to reduce the total amount of fat that you eat, especially saturated fat. To find out what you are really getting in a food, check the nutrition label. Trans-fatty acids increase blood cholesterol levels. Trans-fatty acids are the fats that form when vegetable oils are hydrogenated.
Hydrogenation is the process that keeps liquid oil solid at room temperature.
It is hard to tell if you are eating these fats since they are not currently listed on food labels. Hydrogenated fats are found in some margarines, shortening, french fries, doughnuts, pastries, cookies, crackers, chips and other processed foods. The best way to avoid trans-fatty acids is to limit foods containing hydrogenated oils. Follow these tips and you can easily eat less fat, especially saturated fat and trans-fatty acids. Have chips, crackers, cookies, croissants, doughnuts and other baked goods and deep-fat fried foods which contain hydrogenated vegetable oils less often.