I'm a food label reader. I don't always understand everything I read. But I read. I mostly look for foods with way low sugar, minimal levels of sodium, moderate amounts of calories, and pretty darn low servings of fat. But what about trans fats? What if I find a low-fat item that happens to list a teeny tiny trace of trans fat? Is this OK?

It's OK, says this doctor who maintains that as long as saturated fats make up less than 10 percent of daily calorie intake, no harm will be done.

I'd still prefer none of this trans fatty stuff. But if I happen to swallow a bit of it, I guess I'll survive.

More and more people are likely to not only survive but prevent coronary heart disease now that more food manufacturers are reformulating their products and cutting out this dangerous type of fat. The FDA estimates that trans fat labeling could help prevent 600 to 1,200 cases of coronary heart disease and 250 to 500 death each year. Now that, I understand.