What are hydrogenated fats and how to look for them

When we think about how our bodies digest food, we will usually think of it as a biological process.  But there is a lot of knowledge to be gained from understanding the chemical processes involved too, particularly when it comes to understanding how our bodies deal with different types of nutrients, and why they are grouped together.  From this perspective, the three main food groups, which are differentiated based on their chemistry, are proteins, carbohydrates (literally this comes from hydrogenated (hydrogen) carbons, two chemical elements), and finally fats.  Fats can then be further broken down into saturated and unsaturated fats. 

Unsaturated fat is generally thought to be the healthier fat, but from a chemical perspective, this is identified by the fact that not all of the carbon elements in the chain are fully “saturated” by hydrogen elements.  In general, when these unsaturated fats occur in natural, the unsaturated elements will turn in a certain direction, giving them an appearance of being bent.  This is known as a cis fatty acid.  It is something that is happening at a molecular level, so not visible with the naked eye, but it will also mean that these types of fats are liquid at room temperature. 

In certain circumstances, our diets also provide us with unsaturated fats that appear to be in a kind of a straight line.  These either come from the fat in dairy and meat products, or from commercially produced partially hydrogenated fats.  When cis fats are artificially altered by the forced inclusion of hydrogen, the resulting fat is then hard at room temperature where previously it would have been liquid, and it allows for a cheaper and less perishable substitute for butter.  These fats are known as trans fats, and are extremely detrimental to our health. 

In particular, the hydrogenated fats that are found in foods like certain brands of crisps, some peanut butters, commercially prepared cakes and even fast foods such as burgers can cause serious health issues.  Our bodies cannot metabolise these fats in the normal manner, nor can they be excreted in the normal manner.  This means that they tend to remain in blood circulation.  Regular exposure of our endothelial cells to these types of trans fats has been shown to lead to inflammation and heart disease. 

The food industry recognised how dangerous consumption of these types of fats were and they responded by enforcing strict labelling guidelines on foods containing these.  Unfortunately, they only required products with a trans-fat content of 0.5% or more to specify that this fat was included in the food product.  This means that some foods may contain trans fats without having to state this on their nutritional guidelines, leading to mislead the consumer. 

Below I’ve included the ingredients from a very well-known brand of peanut butter sweet.  You can see clearly that allergens, as is required, are highlighted in bold.  Further down the list is the inclusion of the following: “Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil”.  This is hydrogenated fat, and this is exactly the type of fat you want to avoid at all costs!

Milk Chocolate Flavoured Coating (65%) [Sugar*; Cocoa Butter; Cocoa Mass; Non Fat Milk Powder; Milk Fat; Lactose (Milk); Emulsifiers:Soya Lecithin*, E476], Peanut Butter Creme Centre (35%) [Peanuts; Sugar*; Dextrose*; Cocoa Butter; Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel and Palm Oil); Salt; Emulsifier: E476; Antioxidant: E319], *Produced from genetically modified Sugar Beet, Corn and Soya Beans

If you do purchase processed goods in the supermarket, it is worth spending an extra few minutes looking at the label to see what exactly is included.  It is possible to find alternative brands that don’t include this type of fat, and it is most definitely worth the extra few minutes’ effort it will take to find them.

The importance of breakfast..

At a friends’ wedding recently, I got talking to another guest about my current passion – nutrition! For the most part we were in agreement about healthy eating, but there was one rather substantial exception.  We had very different views on the importance of breakfast. I feel quite strongly about how significant a role breakfast plays in our overall wellbeing, but I’ll quantify that by saying I don’t mean the kind of breakfast that comes from a cardboard box.  The other guest was of the opinion, however, that we don’t necessarily need breakfast and that anyone he knows who doesn’t eat breakfast, himself included, tend to be slim and healthy.  So I’ve decided to look at some fact based evidence, in the hope of changing some minds about this vital meal – the one where we literally break our ‘fast’.

The practice of eating breakfast has been around since the Middle Ages so it is far from a new phenomenon.  Eating a nutritional breakfast is associated with healthier overall food intakes, body mass index and lifestyle.  Recent studies have shown that breakfast improves cognitive function, intuitive perception and academic performance.

Furthermore, the results from a 2013 study showed that irrelevant of gender, those eating breakfast at least five times a week had significantly lower body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat mass and percent body fat compared to infrequent breakfast eaters.  They also indicated that infrequent breakfast consumption is associated with higher body fat and abdominal obesity.  This was further emphasised by another study in Brazil, which found an association between breakfast intake and a decreased risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and found seldom breakfast eaters to have an increased risk of obesity. 

Another study linked regular breakfast consumption with an increased IQ in pre-school children.  Findings showed that children who regularly have breakfast on a near-daily basis had significantly higher full scale, verbal and performance IQ test scores compared to children who “sometimes” have breakfast.

So, when it comes to breakfast, it is clear to see that the evidence is there to prove its importance, but it is worth noting that a nutritional breakfast is best.  If you’re pushed for time in the mornings, pre-soak some porridge oats in almond milk and fruit or grab a handful of fresh fruit or a pre-made green smoothie.  Where time allows, avocado on wholemeal toast with tomato and rocket is divine, or some almond butter on buckwheat pancakes is delicious.  Either way, it is worth giving at least some thought to this important meal. It really will set you up for the day.