November 16, 2006
 

Photograph of Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs

Photograph of Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs

Cutting trans fat from Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or your favorite Thanksgiving foods, according to nutrition expert Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

With a bit of planning and a few food substitutions, holiday meals can be delicious and fun, as well as healthful, said Hobbs, a registered dietitian with a doctorate in public health. “You can make some simple changes that family or friends probably won’t even notice. There are few things more satisfying than serving and enjoying a delicious meal that’s also healthy for you.”

Trans fat is found in man-made partially hydrogenated oils used in many commercial baked goods, processed foods and oils used to fry fast foods. Partially hydrogenated oils make biscuits and pie crusts flaky, keep cakes moist and help extend the shelf life of foods, but even small amounts of trans fat in the diet increase the risk of coronary artery disease, Hobbs said. “Trans fat is helpful in manufacturing many food products, but it’s not good for people,” she said.

Here are Hobbs’s top 10 ways Thanksgiving chefs can cut out the trans fat:

1. Plan ahead. One key to getting the trans fat out of Thanksgiving meals is planning, said Hobbs. “It really starts with reading labels on packages more carefully. The best advice is to avoid buying products containing trans fat.”

2. Stay alert to products that are most likely to contain trans fat. The trans fat danger zone includes packaged pie crusts, ready-to-bake biscuits, muffins, donuts, pastries, margarine and fast foods.

3. Switch to a healthier brand of margarine. Look for margarines that are low in both trans fat and saturated fat. Examples of tub margarine low in both fats include Organic Smart Balance Whipped Buttery Spread and Canoleo Soft Margarine.

4. Use nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil in place of margarine and butter to grease baking pans.

5. Serve a healthy soup to start holiday meals. Soups made with split peas, lentils or beans don’t need a fat-laden cream base because the beans make soup flavorful and thick. Make big batches for family members to serve themselves. Plus, leftover bean soup makes a great topping for a baked potato.

6. Enjoy sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C. Try baked sweet potatoes with nonfat cottage cheese and cinnamon, or top them with crushed pineapple and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you like your sweet potatoes candied, try mixing them with stewed apple slices.

7. Take care when preparing to bake holiday pies. Many packaged pie crusts are made with partially hydrogenated oils, which make the crusts flaky. However, some pie crusts are trans fat-free. Check the nutrition facts label before you buy pie crusts.

8. Try baking a crustless pie. Some pie fillings can hold their shape without a crust, such as pumpkin or sweet potato pie. Just pour the filling into a baking dish to make a crustless pie or “pudding.” Alternatively, bake a crustless fruit crisp or cobbler.

9. Find a replacement for ready-made frosting. Many canned frostings are loaded with trans fat, Hobbs said. Try decorating the tops of cup cakes and layer cakes with powdered sugar. For color contrast, use chocolate powdered sugar or plain cocoa powder on yellow and white cakes.

10. Avoid biscuits, croissants, fast-food French toast strips and fried pies because they are likely to be high in trans fat. Good substitutes include bagels, whole-wheat toast, English muffins, homemade muffins and quick breads made with vegetable oil.

Food manufacturers are now required to list trans fats on the nutrition facts label for their products, making it easier for consumers to discover whether their favorite foods contain trans fat, Hobbs said. But consumers need to be aware that food manufacturers are allowed to call foods “trans fat free” if there is less than a half-gram of trans fat per serving, Hobbs said.

“If you eat enough of some foods labeled as trans fat-free, you can still consume significant amounts of trans fat,” Hobbs said. The presence of low levels of trans fat can be indicated by the listing of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils on foods’ ingredients lists, she said.

Hobbs is a clinical assistant professor in UNC’s School of Public Health and director of the doctoral program in health leadership in the school’s department of health policy and administration. She is author of “Get the Trans Fat Out: 601 Simple Ways to Cut the Trans Fat Out of Any Diet” and nine other health and nutrition books. She also writes a weekly newspaper column on diet and health called On the Table. “Get the Trans Fat Out” is published by Three Rivers Press.

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Note: Hobbs can be reached at (919) 843-4261 or suzanne_hobbs@unc.edu.

Health policy and administration contact: Gene Pinder, (919) 966-9756 or gpinder@email.unc.edu.

School of Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu.

 

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