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Why You Should Avoid Trans Fats at All Costs

It’s taken years, but finally mainstream news is picking up the facts about trans fats, and warning you about their dangers. A Fox News report covers new research confirming that, in cities where trans fats were banned, heart attacks and strokes have decreased by 6 percent. And, finally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also taken action, declaring trans fats unsafe for consumption.

Trans fats are artery-clogging fats formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. It took a while, but in 2015 the FDA announced partially hydrogenated oils (a primary source of trans fat) will no longer be allowed in food unless authorized by the agency. The ban takes effect in 2018. Meanwhile, trans fats hide in all kinds of processed foods, from packaged baked goods and frozen dinners to non-dairy creamers and margarines.

Sadly, most health “experts” continue to ignore the GOOD fats you should be eating, and are still recommending diets low in saturated fats and high in refined vegetable oils. The truth is diets high in saturated fats are not responsible for rising rates of heart disease.

Not only that, studies show that cutting back on saturated fats not only does NOT lengthen your life, but may even cause poor health, as most of us need to radically increase the healthy fat in our diet. This includes not only saturated fat but also monounsaturated fats (from avocados and nuts) and omega-3 fats.

Other healthy fats include olives and olive oil, coconuts and coconut oil, grass fed meats, lard and tallow, organic pastured eggs, butter from raw grass fed dairy cows, ghee and animal-based omega-3 fat such as krill oil and small fatty fish like sardines and anchovies.