Home & Family Facts and Notes

Be cautious about the food that you are eating since it can have an impact on the health of your baby and you. When making decisions about the food that you eat try to minimize the amount of artificial trans-fats that you eat.

There are two kinds of trans fats - the natural trans fats and the artificial trans fats. You will find the natural fats in some milk and some meats. These do not cause a health concern.

Artificial transfats are in processed foods - such as cookies, french fried potatoes, margarines and other foods. Try to avoid these food choices as much as possible.

These artificial trans fats are a concern for your health and your baby’s health. They have the potential to increase the bad LDL cholesterol and at the same time decrease the positive HDL cholesterol in your body. This increase in the LDL cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease.

Even before giving birth - too much “artificial” transfats in your diet may elevate the risk of infertility - it may also lead to lower birth weight for a baby. During pregnancy it can cause higher blood pressure for the mom, and may also result in an earlier birth.

If your baby is nursing then the transfats in your body - the “natural” and the “artificial” transfats are being fed to your baby.

So what can you do to reduce the amount of bad trans fats that you eat? Here are some strategies that can help

* be aware of the negative effects of artificial trans fats

* look at the label on the product. When deciding between product A or product B choose the one that has lower trans-fats (ideally is trans-fat free) or the one that has less fat (ideally one with zero grams of fat).

* if you see on the product label that the product contains partially hydrogenated oil - begin to realize that this means that there are trans fats in the product. Look for an alternative product.

* choose foods prepared with little or no fat, leaner meats and low fat dairy products

* when selecting soft margarines look for products that are labeled as being free of trans fat or made with non-hydrogenated fat

* start reducing the amount of food that you prepare by frying. When you have to absolutely fry food try using canola or extra virgin olive oil. These oils are healthier since they have lower levels of saturated fats - and they are high in monounsaturated fats. Consider using olive oil since it contains phytochemicals - which may help lower blood cholesterol levels and protect against some cancers.

* when frying foods use a vegetable oil spray like Pam. Even though these products are all fat - the small amount that you use will not add a significant amount of bad fat to your food.

* when you are enjoying a meal at a restaurant choose healthier choices - order foods that are low in fat or are free of trans fats.

* when you choose to eat more seafood, fish, cereals, vegetables, nuts, fruit, whole grain products (ex. bread) you will lower the amount of “artificial” trans fats in your diet.

Tags: family, home and family