Originally published August 6 2005
Trans fats labels appearing on grocery shelves soon
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The FDA last year required companies to reveal the amounts of trans fats found in foods to help consumers make wiser choices.
First, dedicated calorie counters looked to limit their diet to low-calorie foods.
Then, no-carb and low-carb eating gained dieters' attention.
And a few months ago, the new food pyramid offered fresh eating guidelines for consumers.
Now, doctors are warning folks to cut trans fat from their diets for better heart health.
Shoppers seeking these comfort foods may start noticing the words "trans fat" popping up on nutrition labels at grocery stores.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration excluded trans fats when they set nutrition label standards in 1993.
But outcry from consumer and science advocacy groups made the regulatory agency review the fat's health risks, according to an FDA Web site.
By next year, the FDA will require food manufacturers to identify the amount of trans fats in their products.
In Denmark, trans fats have even been banned from food items.
But short of a similar ban in the United States, how are consumers to shop without making nutrition label reading a part-time job?
Brown County resident Phyllis Klosinski said an easy shopping rule to remember is fresh is best.
That May, her husband, Michael Klosinski, underwent quintuple bypass surgery after a routine checkup showed high cholesterol and clogged arteries.
By doing so, they avoided many shelved, prepackaged items that are common homes for trans fats.
The Klosinskis also started walking a few miles each day on the treadmill, since doctors recommend exercise in addition to changing eating habits.
Registered dietitian April Adams says looking at the whole nutrition picture is key.
The Johnson Memorial Hospital employee said the recently revamped federal food pyramid may help shoppers make better choices.
Of that number, trans fats, which fall under the saturated fat category, should make up less than 10 percent.
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