Interesterified Fat: Worse than Trans Fat?

How to avoid interesterified and trans fats

Researchers have shown that inter-ester-ified fat raises your blood sugar and upsets your insulin production. These effects are familiar precursors to diabetes, and absolutely not good for diabetics.

After just four weeks of consumption, study participants' blood sugar levels rose by a sharp 20 percent. This is even worse than trans fats, much worse. Insulin levels also fell 20 percent. And like trans fat, it diminishes levels of "good" (HDL) cholesterol.

Trans Fat Replacement?

Following the exposure of the health dangers of trans fats created by artificially manipulating unsaturated fat molecules, one would think that the food industry would go back to using natural saturated fats like natural coconut oil for food processing. Not gonna happen!

The multi-billion dollar and immensely powerful edible oil industry is not about to lose control and admit that they were wrong in demonizing saturated fats since the 1950s. So they turned to technology and seems to have found a trans fat substitute in the form of interesterified fats.

The Trouble with Processed Vegetable Oils

There are three ways to transform natural fat or oil:

• Fractionation
• Hydrogenation
• Inter-ester-ification

Like hydrogenation which forms trans fats, interesterification generates fat molecules that don't exist in nature. It creates foods that contain chemicals and other harmful waste products full of free radicals that attack the DNA of your cells.

All modified vegetable oils are problematic. Since they are no longer in their natural state, your body doesn't know how to manage them in a useful manner. It will try to make use of them, but eventually, your system will end up storing these fats in cell membranes and other locations where they can inflict damage.

Identify Interesterifed Fats in Your Food

Make it a habit to read product labels. Interesterified fats can be found in the same types of processed food that contain trans fats such as:

• Margarine
• Shortening
• Doughnuts
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Salad dressings
• ... many others ...

But reading labels is far from a guarantee. Bottom line is...

If the processed food label has "vegetable oil" as an ingredient, there's an excellent chance it contains interesterified or trans fats. Your best bet is to minimize, if not eliminate, processed foods from your diet and use coconut oil for cooking.

Coconut Oil: THE Greatest Fat on Earth

Coconut oil is a highly saturated fat composed predominantly of rare Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT).

It accomplishes the good stuff interesterified and hydrogenated fats were designed for such as long shelf life and suitable for deep frying, but without all the health dangers they both present.

92 percent saturated coconut oil is far superior than any other cooking oil and packed with health benefits that earned it the distinction of being "The Healthiest Fat on Earth." Please visit virgin coconut oil benefits for a glimpse of its greatness.

It took about 30 years to ascertain and accept that trans fats are bad for your health. It could take another 30 years to establish the same for interesterified fats.