Questions and Answers About the
New Food Label:
Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, and Cholesterol
Q. |
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule
requires that food labels list the amount of
trans fat together with saturated fat and cholesterol. What is trans
fat? |
A. |
Trans fat is a type of fat that is formed when
vegetable oil is hardened through a process called hydrogenation. This process
helps makes foods more solid, gives them shape, and prolongs their shelf
life.
|
Q. |
What do saturated fat, trans fat, and
cholesterol in foods have to do with heart disease? |
A. |
Saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol in the
diet all raise the level of LDL "bad" cholesterol in the blood. The higher the
LDL cholesterol, the greater the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), the
main form of heart disease and a leading cause of death, illness, and
disability in the United States. Saturated fat and trans fat raise LDL
similarly, but Americans consume 4-5 times as much saturated fat as trans fat.
Saturated fat is the chief dietary culprit that raises LDL, but consumers need
to know about all 3 - saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol - in the foods
they eat to reduce their risk for CHD and stay heart-healthy.
|
Q. |
What foods contain saturated fat, trans fat,
and cholesterol? |
A. |
High amounts of saturated fat are found
in animal products, such as fatty cuts of meat, chicken skin, and full-fat
dairy products like butter, whole milk, cream, and cheese, and in tropical
vegetable oils such as palm, palm kernel, and coconut oil. Trans fat is
found in some of the same foods as saturated fat, such as vegetable shortening,
some margarines (especially hard or stick margarine), crackers, cookies, baked
goods, fried foods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils. Small amounts of trans fat also occur naturally in some animal
products, such as milk products, beef, and lamb. Foods high in
cholesterol include liver, other organ meats, egg yolks, shrimp, and
full-fat dairy products.
|
Q. |
How is the new nutrition label on foods
different? |
| A. |
The FDA's rule requires that the amount of trans
fat be listed on a separate line under saturated fat on the Nutrition Facts
panel of the food label. The new label enables consumers to know the amount of
saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol in a serving of the food they
eat.
|
Q. |
How can I use the new food label to make
heart-healthy food choices? |
A. |
Check the Nutrition Facts panel of the food
label. Choose foods lower in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. For
saturated fat and cholesterol, you can also use the Percent Daily Value (%DV):
5% DV or less is low, and 20% DV or more is high. (There is no %DV for trans
fat.)
|
Q. |
Is it better to eat butter instead of
margarine to avoid trans fat? |
A. |
No. The combined amount of saturated fat, trans
fat, and cholesterol in butter is usually higher than in margarine, even though
some margarines contain more trans fat than butter. There are margarines
available that contain no trans fat. Soft (tub) or liquid margarine usually
contains less trans fat than hard (stick) margarine and less saturated fat and
cholesterol than butter.
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