TRANSFATS 101

Trans fatty acids are a type of fat, the third type aside from unsaturated and saturated fats. They are found naturally in minute amounts in animal products, but most in our diet come from processed foods that contain partially-hydrogenated oils. These are liquid oils that have been subjected to high pressure in the presence of hydrogen, fundamentally altering their structure to make them into a soft solid. Food manufacturers love their long shelf life, ability to stand in for other solid fats (like butter and lard), and their softening properties for many foods. Your body, however, is not be so fond of trans fats; they have been found to be more detrimental to your health than even saturated fats.

While saturated fats raise both types of blood cholesterol—the bad LDL and good HDL—trans fats raise the bad and lower the good. A double whammy to your heart. They also make blood platelets stickier and more likely to form clots. All of this is shown to lead to an increased risk for heart disease, the number two killer in the United States.

All items in our residential dining and retail operations are trans fat-free. Many of these items are also available from Crimson Catering, our on-campus catering service. Just ask!

Since most trans fats in our diet come from highly processed foods, start eating more whole foods. While all of our items have 0g trans fats per serving, if you're concerned about any artificial trans fat intake become a label reader! The phrase "partially hyrdrogenated" is your clue that the food has any trans fats in it.