There are certain healthy eating facts that dont change no matter what kind of a diet you follow, or what kind of lifestyle you have. Whether youre sedentary or active, too much saturated fat isnt good for you. Whether you eat 1600 calories a day or 2500, depending on your activity level, trans fats are unhealthy, for example. And whether youre trying to lose weight quickly or jump start a long-term weight loss program, fasting isnt a good choice for your body.

One of the healthy eating facts that we didnt have to worry about years ago is that trans fats are unhealthy. Some trans fats occur naturally in food, but those arent the same as the man-made trans fats that make up margarine and shortening, and are found in almost every commercially produced baked good you can find. Trans fats are also often included in boxed mixes that you prepare at home, and things like instant cocoa, because of its long shelf-life.

Hydrogenated fats like margarine and shortening became available in 1911. Before then trans fats werent something the average consumer had to worry about. Now, though, hydrogenated oils or trans fats are present in almost every type of food you can think of. The hydrogenation process keeps fats from going rancid for a longer period of time. But the link between hydrogenated oils and heart health is clearits worse for you than saturated fat.

This is one of the healthy eating facts that has prompted the government to step in. Theyve insisted that fast-food restaurants reduce the amount of trans fats in their food. Food manufacturers also have to include the amount of trans fats on their food labels, too. Carefully read food labels so that youre at least aware of what youre eating. Anything that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated is a trans fat, and something you want to avoid as much as possible. Eliminate these trans fats from your diet completely if you can.

Another one of the healthy eating facts that not too many people think about is how bad regular soft drinks are for your health. A can of regular soft drink contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar. And how often do you drink more than one soda in a day? Some people drink several sodas per day, preferring soda to beverages like water or tea.

Everyones going to eat sugar in some form, but moderation is called for. And when one soda provides you with 9 teaspoons of sugar, thats pretty much the sugar limit for the daythat we dont need refined sugar at all is one of the most ignored healthy eating facts. But most people have sugar in other forms, too, raising their daily total of sugar intake much higher.

Considering the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related illnesses, cutting back on trans fat and soda in our diets is important. These healthy eating facts can make a huge difference in our weight and overall health if we dont ignore them

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Healthy Eating Facts – Trans Fat And Soda Wake Up Tips

Regardless of the type of diet you may be on, or what your current lifestyle is, there are definitely some healthy eating facts that always stay the same. Saturated fat, for example, is not healthy for you, and it doesn’t matter how active or sedentary you are, nor does it matter how much you weight or how many calories you eat per day. Facts are facts. Man-made trans fats are always unhealthy. Another fact is that restricting your calories too severely can take its toll on your body.

One thing that people didn’t need to concern themselves with several years ago was trans fats; to be more specific, man-made trans fats, as there are some naturally occurring trans fats which aren’t a major health issue. The good news is that trans fats are easy to spot on food labels, but only when you know how. The most recent labeling guidelines say that food manufacturers have to show how much trans fats are in each serving of their food. However, if it’s under a certain amount, thy are allowed to show it as 0 grams of trans fat, even if there is some of it in the food. While this is playing dirty with your health, there is a way you can know for sure. Simply read the full list of ingredients. If you see the word ‘hydrogenated’, then it contains man-made trans fats and you should leave it on the shelf.

Researchers first brought hydrogenated fats and oils to the market in 1911. At the time they solved a big problem: spoilage. Refrigeration was still fairly new, and a lot of homes had no way of keeping their food cool. This meant that most foods that contained fats would turn rancid on the shelf. Trans fats changed that. All of a sudden, people could have margarine, shortening, instant cocoa and various mixes at home.

Refrigeration is no longer a problem, but trans fats are. That’s because researchers have found a link between hydrogenated fats and various diseases. This is most likely due to the fact that hydrogenation changes the molecular properties of otherwise natural fats. Even the government is starting to change the way it looks at trans fats.

Healthy eating facts don’t end with trans fats, though. Another thing to avoid is carbonated soft drinks. If they are sweetened with sugar, then they can have up to 3 tablespoons of sugar in a 12 ounce can! And it’s all empty calories. Even those soft drinks that have added nutrients aren’t that great for you, because you are still getting way too many simple carbohydrates.

Most such beverages also contain artificial flavors, caffeine, artificial colors and other things that aren’t any good for you. But what about sodas that use artificial sweeteners? They aren’t good for you either. The jury is still out on various sweeteners, but so far it looks they are not worth the risk. Even if they aren’t that bad for you, there are enough other bad things in carbonated beverages to make steering clear of them another one of the healthy eating facts you can rely on.

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