It would not be holidays without a spread of unhealthy but delicious foods.
According to Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the average person puts on one to two pounds during the holidays. KREM 2 spoke to two registered dietitians and they said this holiday season you should try to avoid any foods with trans-fat.
According to the American Heart Association, trans-fats are double trouble for your heart health. Trans-fat raises your LDL, or bad, cholesterol and lowers your HDL, or good, cholesterol. This increases your risk of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Even though in 2013 the Food and Drug Administration determined that partially hydrogenated oils or trans fatty acids are no longer generally safe in human food, food manufacturers are legally allowed to used small amounts. This is dangerous because people are probably unaware that they are consuming trans-fat.
In the United States, when you check the food label for trans-fat, or partially hydrogenated vegetable if a food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat in a serving, the food label can legally read 0 grams trans-fat.
Now when it comes to those traditional holiday foods, trans-fats are not just found in baked goods, crackers and shelved snacks. They are also found in canned cranberry sauce, gravy mixes, refrigerator dough, canned frosting and canned whipped cream.
Both nutritionists agree it becomes challenging and tricky to avoid trans-fat.
If you are doing the cooking, do your friends and family a favor and go homemade and use a small amounts of vegetable oil or cooking spray. If you are doing the eating, maybe offer to bring a healthier option or limit yourself to just pumpkin pie.
SOURCES
Ginger Hultin, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Monika Jacobson, registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition