No matter what diet you follow or what lifestyle you lead, there are some facts that remain the same about healthy eating. For example, saturated fats are not good for you. It doesn’t matter how active you are, how inactive you are, how much you weigh or how many calories you consume per day. The facts are the facts. Artificially produced trans fats are always unhealthy. It’s also a diet fact that extreme calorie restriction can be hard on the body.
One thing you didn’t need to worry about until a few years ago is trans fats, specifically artificially-made trans fats. Trans fats are easy to spot on food labels, but only if you know how to look for them. Under the latest labelling guidelines, food manufacturers are required to state the number of trans fatty acids in a serving of food. However, if the amount is below a certain level, they are allowed to label their products as containing “0g”, even if they contain some trans fats. This can be dangerous to your health, but there is a way to know for sure. Simply read the full list of ingredients. If you see the word ‘hydrogenated’, it means that it contains artificially produced trans fats and should be put on the shelf.
Researchers first brought hydrogenated fats and oils to the market in 1911. At that time, hydrogenated fats solved the major problem of rancidity. At that time, refrigerators were not yet widely available and many households had no means of cooling their food. This meant that most foods containing fats and oils would spoil on the shelf. Trans fats changed that. Suddenly, margarine, shortening, instant cocoa and all sorts of mixes were available in the home.
The problem of refrigeration is gone, but the problem of trans fats is still there. This is because researchers have found a link between hydrogenated fats and a number of diseases. This is most likely due to the fact that hydrogenation alters the molecular properties of the supposedly natural fats and oils. Governments are also beginning to change their views on trans fats.
A healthy diet is about more than just trans fats. Carbonated drinks should also be avoided. If they are sweetened with sugar, a 12-ounce can may contain as much as three tablespoons of sugar. And it’s all empty calories. Even soft drinks that contain nutrients are not good for you because they contain too many simple carbohydrates.
Most soft drinks also contain artificial flavours, caffeine, artificial colours and other things that are not good for you. But what about sodas made with artificial sweeteners? This is also not good for you. The various sweeteners have yet to be evaluated, but for now, they don’t seem to be worth the risk. Even if carbonated drinks aren’t bad for you, there are so many other things wrong with them that it’s important to avoid them in order to maintain a healthy diet.
