Angela Dowden on avoiding trans fats

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Hydrogenated fats are vegetable oils that have been turned into semi-hard fats by reacting them with hydrogen. Unfortunately, the hydrogenation process produces a proportion of chemically altered fats called trans fats.

These trans fats can raise levels of bad cholesterol which sticks to artery walls and restricts blood flow. There's also some (controversial) evidence that trans fats may raise the risk of diabetes, increase cancer risk and even interfere with brain function.

Despite improvements in the food industry, hydrogenated fats still lurk in a number of foods, particularly:

Pastry: most types, in pies, tarts, etc still contain hydrogenated oils, which combined with a lot of saturated fat makes shop-bought pastry incredibly unhealthy.
Hard cooking fats - e.g. brands like Cookeen and Stork.
Fast food: Fries and burgers can either be cooked in hydrogenated oil, or may have been cooked in non-hydrogenated oil that has been reused many times (this can cause the formation of trans fat too).
Shop-bought cakes: Cheap, hardened vegetable fats are still often used to make them. You'll also find hydrogenated oils in Twiglets and some cereal bars.
School meals: these are another worrying potential source of trans fats. For more information on how to campaign against trans fats in school food, go to tfx.org.uk.