There'salotoffocusontransfats（反式脂肪）thesedays．Wereadaboutitinthenews，andthere'stalkofpassinglawsagainsttransfats．Wearebombardedwiththeword．Unfortunately，mostpeopledon'tknowwhattransfatstrulyare
There's a lot of focus on trans fats（反式脂肪）these days．We read about it in the news，and there's talk of passing laws against trans fats．Wearebombardedwith the word．Unfortunately，most people don't know what trans fats truly are and why they are so bad for us．A lot of food production companies want to get your dollars by printing"Trans Fat Free"on their label （标签）．Sadly，they may not be telling the truth．
So what is a trans fat really？A trans fat is a liquid （液体） fat that is turned into a solid．Although there are very small amounts of natural trans fats in meat and dairy products，most of them are created by adding hydrogen to liquid fat．Food-makers do this because it makes the product last longer on the shelf．Have you ever wondered why cookies can still be crispy and"tasty"after six months to a year on a store shelf？It's because of trans fats．Trans fats are typically found in things like donuts，French fries，cookies，microwave popcorn，and potato chips．
Why are trans fats bad for you？Trans fats raise the bad cholesterol（胆固醇）in your body and lower the good cholesterol that the body needs．Fatty foods do cause overweight．Trans fats build up in the body and block blood flow to the heart．People whose diet contains a high percentage of trans fats are at risk of heart disease and stroke．
Why can the food-makers label trans fat free when it isn't？Because of the way the nutrition labeling laws work，the FDA （Food and Drug Administration） has allowed that if a food has less than 0.5grams per serving （一份） it can be classified as trans fat free．Read the label and you may discover that the package actually contains 6servings，and if you just ate three of them，you might have eaten 1.49grams of trans fats．
Besides，in most fast food restaurants，ingredient and nutrition information are not listed．You may be shocked if you know what you are eating．An article in Men's Health magazine pointed that in KFC，hydrogenated（氢化的） oils appeared