There are many myths about the dangers of certain foods. These myths are nothing compared to the real dangers of trans fats and carcinogens. The two are often confused. For example, when it is said that vegetable oil becomes trans fat when frying. In fact, it is oxidized under the influence of high temperature and becomes carcinogenic. What is the difference between trans fats and carcinogens and what is their danger?
Trans fats in nutrition
On food labels, trans fats can appear under the names margarine, synthetic tallow, hydrogenated vegetable fat. In the food industry, it is used as a cheap analogue of butter.
Margarine is included in most confectionery products – in cakes, pastries, cookies, pies, sweets. It is added to dairy products – curds, curds, cottage cheese, ice cream, spread. Unscrupulous manufacturers do not indicate margarine on the label, but simply write “vegetable fat”. If the product is solid, does not run off and does not lose shape, then it contains not vegetable oil, but margarine.
Margarine has a saturated fat formula but is made from unsaturated vegetable oils. During the manufacturing process, unsaturated fatty acid molecules are stripped of double bonds, making them saturated fats. But it is not this transformation that is dangerous for health, but the fact that its side effect was a change in the molecule itself. The result is fat that does not exist in nature. The human body is unable to process it. Our body does not have a “friend / foe” recognition system tuned to fats, so trans fats are included in various life processes. The danger is that when an altered molecule enters a cell, it disrupts its functions, which is fraught with disorders of the immune system, metabolism, obesity and the development of tumors.
How to keep yourself safe from trans fats?
- Remove confectionery, sweets, baked goods and potentially hazardous dairy products from food;
- Carefully read the labels – if the composition contains “vegetable fat”, but the product itself is solid, then the composition contains not butter, but margarine.
Carcinogenic substances
A carcinogen is a substance that causes cancer. Carcinogens are found not only in the diet. They are in nature, industry, and are a product of human activity. For example, X-rays are carcinogenic, tobacco smoke, nitrates and nitrites too.
In terms of nutrition, people poison their bodies when they use unrefined vegetable oil for frying or re-fry in refined oil. Unrefined oil contains impurities that are not resistant to high temperatures – when heated, they become carcinogenic. Refined oil can withstand high temperatures, but only once.
Among the finished food products, the leaders in the content of carcinogens are smoked products containing poisonous polycyclic hydrocarbons from smoke.
Various canned food, including homemade pickles, also contain harmful substances. In the food industry, harmful preservatives can be used, and low-quality vegetables can be used for homemade preparations. If vegetables were grown on special mineral fertilizers, then they probably contain nitrates, which, when preserved or stored in a relatively warm place, will become even more harmful.
How to protect yourself from carcinogens?
- Fry in refined oil, but do not reuse it;
- Limit smoked products and canned food as much as possible;
- Examine canned food labels. It is good if the composition contains natural preservatives like salt and vinegar.
Now you know what trans fats and carcinogens are, and in which foods they are found. This will help you make drastic changes in your diet and reduce your risk of irreversible health problems.