At a recent Mommy Academy event, husband-and-wife team Turo and Jakki Alindada gave a talk about the dangers of this little-known health hazard. "The sad thing about it is that consuming trans fats has been causing a lot of health problems among Filipinos, but we don’t understand what [they are]," says Turo.

Fatty food

"Trans fats, which are found in products such as margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, are extremely harmful to health, causing a long list of health problems including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, various types of cancer, and so on," he explains.

"Even very tiny amounts are harmful, so you should avoid them as much as possible. Since their main properties include having a higher melting point and being able to extend the shelf life of food products, they are used for making a very wide range of food items," he says.

He adds that according to the book The Hydrogenated Bomb, Trans Fats by Judith Shaw, M.A., partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is the fat in much of the packaged food we purchase. It’s fat with calories, the same number as other fats, and the mouth feel of butter, says the author.

Turo enumerates some of the trans fatty items that kids enjoy eating: "Any package that lists partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in its ingredients contains TFAs. Many hamburger buns, frozen fries, potpies, frozen pizzas, tacos, cereals, and pie crusts contain TFAs. Even baby and toddler food sold may have them.

"Cheesecake, cornbread, cake mixes, and brownies can have them. Even dieter’s items like cholesterol-free and low-fat crackers frequently have them. They are often hiding in your salad dressing, so even ordering those side greens may not be as healthy as you think. Candy bars can also contain them, as do peanut butter and packaged nut treats."

When in doubt, he advises consumers to check the label. "TFAs may be camouflaged on

some packages as "shortening," as "vegetable shortening," or "hardened vegetable oil." He further warns that studies show even breastmilk is not spared the trans fat menace.

"The trans fats ingested by the mother passes to the baby through the breastmilk." So lactating mothers have to watch what they eat too.

How to avoid them

It may seem hard to avoid eating food with trans fats, but Turo says it can be done. He suggests establishments that use butter in their baked products.

"Our peanut butter is either Lily’s or an old-fashioned American brand. We simply don’t eat instant noodles and we don’t feel deprived of anything. We only eat brown rice, if at all we do. There are hundreds of foods starting with fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy products, fish and other seafoods, and meats to satisfy any cravings that we get if we just bother to get educated about proper nutrition."

"Extra virgin olive oil and peanut oil both cannot be hydrogenated, thus [they] are best for cooking. Extra virgin olive oil can also be used in salads and as a dip," he says. And he cautions against reusing your frying oil. "The more often the oil is used, except if it is extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil, and the higher the temperature, the more trans fats it produces."

Good Eats:

Here are more nutrition tips from health lecturer Turo Alindada

- Eat more natural food like vegetables

-Cut out processed, packaged food

-Snack on plain – not fried – nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, macadamia, pistachio, cashew, and peanuts

-Avoid fast food, because these are trans fat traps

-Instead of donuts, bread, muffins, and cookies, offer kids an apple, banana, orange, or mango

-Avocados are good for you and your kids

-Eggs are great sources of protein

-Cut out or limit hotdogs

-Eat more quality protein – soya, cheese, nuts