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Trans Fat-Filled Foods to Stock Up On Before the FDA Eliminates Them

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Duke chapter.

This week, the FDA made a ballsy move, announcing that the food industry has three years to eliminate trans fats from all products. Trans fats, unsaturated fats uncommon in nature, are generally considered bad fats.

trans fat

Gif courtesy of giphy.com

While it’s overwhelmingly awesome that these artery-clogging, LDL-raising and HDL-lowering fats will soon be gone from our food, the announcement signals the coming death of several beloved products. Here are the top 7 foods to stock up on or swap out by 2018.

 

1. Microwave Popcorn

trans fat

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Varieties such as Pop Secret Homestyle and Butter are particularly egregious offenders with 4.5 and 5 grams trans fat per respective serving. Switch to SkinnyPop or Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop. No worries, you can still dress your popcorn up.

2. Cake Mixes and Frosting

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Pillsbury is going to have some trouble with the FDA’s new regulations. Even their “healthier” sugar-free products are loaded with trans fat – one serving of Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge icing has 2 grams.

3. Frozen Foods

trans fat

Photo by Emily Waples

Unfortunately, this includes pizzas, pie crusts and waffles. Time to try your hand at homemade versions.

4. Breakfast Cereals

trans fat

Photo by Courtney Hatfield

It’s no secret that most cereals are full of sugar, but many, including Furity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles and Froot Loops, also contain trans fat. I guess I’ll stick to plain cheerios.

5. Packaged Noodles

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Photo by Caroline Liu

Say goodbye to the top college staple, ramen. Oh, and La Choy’s chow mein and rice noodles will also be casualties of the war on trans fat.

6. Margarine

trans fat

Photo by Gaby Scelzo

With a whopping 2.1 grams trans fat per tablespoon, it’s probably best we remove margarine from our diets. Butter’s a bit better with 0.5 grams per tablespoon. Since it’s a dairy product, butter, along with all meat products, will stick around.

7. Salad Dressings

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Photo by April Purvis

Salad isn’t always healthy, and it’s definitely not with trans fat-filled Ranch or Cesar dressing piled on top. Avoid store bought varieties and make it yourself.

 

Goodbye, trans fat, may you rest in peace.

trans fat

Gif courtesy of giphy.com

Born and raised in the Midwest, Emily has both loved and been baffled by southern food since moving to North Carolina. While okra and chicken with waffles are surprisingly delicious, her heart will forever belong to frozen custard. And, true to her Wisconsin heritage, she continues to call water fountains "bubblers."