Foods to Avoid Part Deux

Contrary to much popular belief, fat isn't bad (it's just misunderstood:).  Among the myriad types of fats, there is  a spectrum onto which fats fall.  There is a place for most of them in human diet and balance is important.  Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD) tips the scale toward omega 6 fats, which can promote inflammation, unlike their anti-inflammatory cousins omega 3 fatty acids, such as fish oil.  The exception to the usefulness of fats is Trans fats.  This particular unnatural type of fat should not be consumed by humans!  Besides being especially pro-inflammatory and thus promoting heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even cancer; Trans fats lower good cholesterol (HDL), raise bad cholesterol (LDL) and promote obesity while further encouraging the effects of inflammation on the body.  The problem is, it hardly takes any of this artificial fat to do damage to the vascular system.  I once read that a 1% increase in trans fats increases risk of heart disease by 25%!  Food Packages list trans fat, however, if there is less than .5g/serving, it can be listed at zero.  The small amount of trans fat necessary to harm our bodies can be hidden in these foods and it doesn't take much to have increased consumption by 1%.  The trick to avoiding this toxin is to read labels and toss anything that has the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated in the ingredients.  Margarine and shortening may also contain trans fat and should be avoided as well.  Oh, by the way, the reason you can leave a fast food burger out for weeks and have it look about the same is that trans fats aren't natural and don't breakdown quickly.  Picture them doing the same thing in your body...