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