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Understanding Trans Fats

In 2004, a low-budget documentary, Super Size Me, made an astonishing $10 million; in fact, people are still talking about the guy who almost killed himself by eating McDonald's food exclusively for 30 days, and the words "trans fats" are now emanating from the mouths of millions around the globe.

Denmark became the first country to strictly regulate trans fats in 2003, effectively banning partially hydrogenated oils. And now, New York's health board is proceeding with plans to prohibit that city's 20,000 restaurants from serving foods containing trans fats. A similar ban has been proposed in Chicago.

So what's wrong with trans fats? In a word...everything!

An over abundance of toxic trans fats is just one of the many problems with the Standard American Diet. Perhaps it's time to get Super Wised about how trans fats are killing us...and what you can do to save your life.

What Happens When You Eat Trans Fats?

By ingesting margarine – or any of the numerous other fake food products containing trans fats – you are actually incorporating damaged molecules into the cellular structure of your body! It's hardly surprising, then, that many chronic health conditions have been linked to diets rich in trans fats.

It is well understood the ways in which trans fats lead to an increased risk of coronary heart disease. But there are other diseases – such as cancer, diabetes, liver toxicity, and obesity – that are believed to be associated with eating trans fats, otherwise known as hydrogenated food products.

Some physicians believe that trans fats also:

• Accelerate aging
• Compromise the immune system
• Damage the lungs
• Damage reproductive organs and their processes
• Contribute to mental decline and chromosomal damage
• Increase problems with mental functioning such as autism, ADD, ADHD, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, and depression
• Increase the risk for arthritis and autoimmune disease¹

Their use is so contentious, in fact, that – as we've learned – trans fats have been banned outright in Denmark, are required to be listed on product labels in many countries, and are tightly regulated in others. So what's all the fuss about? Keep reading...

What Are Trans Fats?

Unhealthy trans fats – along with healthy saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats (such as Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils) – is one of a variety of fat types found in the foods we eat. Trans fats are commonly found in baked goods such as doughnuts, cakes, and breads, as well as salad dressings and fried, fast, and snack foods.

While trans fats occur naturally in the meat and dairy products harvested from ruminant animals such as sheep and cows, today most trans fats ingested by humans have been artificially created through the hydrogenation of plant oils and animal fats.

Developed as a cheap alternative to using animal fats such as lard or butter, or semi-solid plant fats like palm oil, the hydrogenation process used to manufacture trans fats involves extracting oil from unsaturated plant fats, usually vegetable oils. Hydrogen is added at very high heat, damaging the oil in order to transform its molecules into a more convenient to use trans fat solid.

Since they are considered to be unhealthy, provide no nutritional benefit to your body, and are easy to avoid, why not delete trans fats from your diet?

Making Positive Changes

Step 1 – Eliminating Trans Fats

Read the labels on everything in your cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer. Avoid sources of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats, and damaged polyunsaturated oils.

Foods to avoid – the following items more often than not contain trans fats:

• Bottled salad dressing
• Chips
• Cookies
• Corn oil
• Cottonseed oil
• Deep-fat fried foods
• Imitation mayonnaise
• Imitation sour cream
• Margarine and other hydrogenated fake butter spreads
• Non-dairy creamers
• Pressurized whipped cream
• Processed, junk, and fake foods
• Sandwich spreads
• Shortening²

Step 2 – Fighting Fat With Fats

Replacing Fake Fat With The Real Thing

Okay, so you've read all the labels, and are fired up to banish trans fats from your life, and make your body happy and eternally grateful. There's only one small problem...what on earth do you replace them with? Believe it or not, this is the easy part: anything and everything, as long as it's REAL!

Getting Real

Modern society – at least where nutrition is concerned – has de-evolved so drastically from a time when we gathered, picked, milked, hunted, or fished for our daily bread, that in order to move away from trans fats and our Standard American diets toward health and vitality, it's necessary to note exactly what real food is (vs. processed, junk, and fake foods).

As a general rule, if you don't recognize – or can't pronounce – the words on a label, don't eat it. Opt instead for the real thing!

Real Food³:

• Dairy products such as eggs, butter, cream, milk and cheese
• Fish and shellfish*
• Fruits
• Grains
• Legumes (a simple dry fruit often referred to as a pod including alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, and peanuts)
• Meat
• Nuts*
• Oil, especially essential fatty acids (seed, nut, and fish oils)*
• Poultry
• Sea algae (green food)*
• Seeds*
• Vegetables

*Read more about foods containing vital Omega 3 and Omega 6 oil.

As you eliminate trans fats from your diet, and begin to enjoy eating food that is actually food – including naturally occurring fats – you will be on your way to optimizing your health, making an investment in your body's future and, ultimately, feeling better.

There is one more thing to consider when taking these vital first steps toward replacing health-defying trans fats with life-giving nourishment.

Step 3 – Cleanse, Rejuvenate, And Supplement

Start With A Clean Slate

When you change the oil in your car, first you must flush out all the old, dirty oil that the car's motor has been sputtering along on. The same is true when making dietary changes – it's important to clear out all the toxic build-up so that your body's systems can start fresh. Only then can it make the most of the healthy new nourishment coming its way.

Some doctors recommend regular colon cleansings, periodic liver flushes, and revitalizing multi-vitamins as part of an ongoing health regimen.

Purifying And Revitalizing

Puristat: A Complete Recovery Program

Colon Cleansings

The Puristat colon cleansing program includes herbal supplements and dietary, digestive, and exercise tips to help get your colon clean, and optimize your overall health. Once your colon is clean, and your body is no longer suffering from the sluggish effects of toxic build-up, it will start to maximize the nutrients it receives from your healthy, new, trans-fat-free diet.

Puristat supplements are a combination of cleansers and probiotics. The cleansing supplement works with your colon to increase the peristaltic action of the colon – the wavelike motion responsible for the elimination of toxins via stool. When your colon is contracting on a regular basis, it becomes stronger, more toned, and retains fewer toxins.

Probiotics are "good" bacteria. After cleansing your colon, it's important to restore gut bacteria balance to stop unhealthy bacteria from inhabiting the area, and help build a stronger immune system.

Detoxifying Your Liver

A liver cleanse is another step on the road to recovering from trans fats and the Standard American Diet. Cleanses comprised of milk thistle are recommended by some doctors because they're proving to be effective in helping to alleviate the effects of an unhealthy diet, and the burden it places on all our body's systems.

Dietary toxins, including trans fats, tax the limits of our bodies' immune systems. With half-a-million chemicals in the environment alone – including the thousands it takes to grow and process our food and the nearly six thousand chemicals and additives in our diet – our bodies must constantly battle to rid themselves of deadly toxins.

Detoxifying your liver can help remove unwanted pollutants, and enable it to function properly. Though we cannot rid ourselves of every potential negative from our diets or our environment, detoxification and cleansing can go a long way toward ridding our bodies of the pollutants we unwittingly ingest on a daily basis.

Advanced Supplementation

A rich, pharmaceutical-grade multi-vitamin is an essential part of any 21st century health regimen. Eating your veggies is no longer enough. The soil in which we grow our food is so depleted that it is virtually impossible to get proper sustenance without a supplement...no matter how well you eat.

Choose a multi-vitamin that contains calcium, magnesium, and essential fatty acids. This will help your body make up for what is lacking in your food, as well as work toward nourishing your cellular functioning.

Take Your Time

Remember to take it slowly when making dietary changes. It is important not to do too much at once or you'll become overwhelmed, and will be less likely to stick with the program. It can take months to develop a healthy diet, especially if you've been eating a certain way for most of your life.

Make changes bit by bit. Do some research, and pay attention to what your body is telling you. In time, you may find that you feel more energetic than you have in years thanks to a few small, welcome changes, and the rejuvenating and invigorating effects of a refreshed immune system.

There is so much more to consider when taking the vital steps towards replacing the Standard American Diet with a healthier diet. Watch for our upcoming article on overcoming vitamin deficiencies.

Let Puristat Help... Product Information

At Abbott Industries we stand behind our products one hundred percent. We have developed the best colon cleanse, liver cleanse, and digestive support products on the market. Our unique blend of herbs, probiotics, enzymes, nutrients, minerals and vitamins are powerful, yet gentle.

And now you can try Puristat products risk-free for 45 days. If you are not satisfied with your purchase for any reason, simply return the empty bottles for a full refund of the product price (less shipping and handling), no questions asked. If you would like to speak with one of our Digestive Health Specialists, please call 1-800-492-4984.

Notes:
1. Hanley, J.L. and Deville, N., Tired of Being Tired, Berkley Publishing Group, NY, 2001. (p. 87)
2. Hanley, J.L. and Deville, N., Tired of Being Tired, Berkley Publishing Group, NY, 2001. (p. 88)
3. Hanley, J.L. and Deville, N., Tired of Being Tired, Berkley Publishing Group, NY, 2001. (p. 71)