That's Fit

Trans fats are bad. But fiber is good. So maybe as you ditch the bad fat from your diet, you could replace it with some good fiber. It's never tasted better, says Prevention magazine. You might not even miss your fats when you give these fiber-filled foods a whirl.

• Grain: Air-popped popcorn, 3 cups, 4 grams of fiber

• Cereal: Quaker Oats (cooked), 1/2 cup, 5 grams of fiber

• Fruit: Blueberries, 1 cup, 4 grams of fiber

• Vegetable: Broccoli, 1 cup, 5 grams of fiber

• Protein: Black beans (cooked), 1 cup, 15 grams of fiber

• Other: Dark chocolate, 5 pieces, 3 grams of fiber
  
  

These are just a few ideas. The list goes on -- just hop on over here and you'll stumble upon tasty treats like orange juice, chickpeas, canned pumpkin, pears, whole wheat pasta, and so much more.

Surely, you know by now that there's nothing good about trans fat. Restaurants are abandoning it, food makers are ditching it, and companies are more than happy to report "0 Trans Fat" on their boxes, bags, and packages. Still, it's not gone from everything and if we're not careful, bits and pieces of trans fat might make their way into our bodies. This is bad news -- experts say there's no safe level of this unhealthy fat.

There's good news too, though: Trans fats disappear from your body at a rate of 15 percent a year once you stop eating them. More good news: You can stop eating them by eliminating these 10 foods from your diet. Here they are, Prevention magazine's 10 worst trans fat foods.

• Cake mixes

• Cereal and energy bars

• Chips and crackers

• Dried soups

• Fast food

• Frozen entrées

• Margarine

• Nondairy creamers and whipped topping

• Packaged cookies and candy

• Packaged doughnuts, pies, and cakes

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.

Good news: Trans fats are linked to breast cancer risk. Why is this good? Two reasons. One, it unravels another bit of the mystery surrounding why people get cancer. Two, it gives us more reason to ditch trans fats from our diets.

We already know trans fats are artery-cloggers. That's why they're being phased out of various foods. Now researchers suspect they cause breast cancer too.

Women with the highest blood levels of trans-fats had about twice the risk of breast cancer compared to women with the lowest levels, say the findings of a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. We'd all be wise then to limit our consumption of processed foods, the source of trans-fatty acids. Trans-fats are mostly found in cooking fats, baked goods, snacks, and a variety of other prepared foods.

Interestingly, this study found women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids -- the good stuff, found in fish such as salmon, walnuts, and leafy green vegetables -- were not any less likely to have breast cancer. So the mystery continues. And all we can do is the best we can, with the information we have. See how good you're doing with this AOL Body cancer quiz.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm trying to lose weight, but exercising is a problem for me since I am almost 300 pounds. I have a bad knee and my hip hurts, so I am looking for an exercise tape that is low impact but helps me burn as many calories as possible during the work out. Thank you, Paula

A. Hello Miss Paula, I'm glad to hear from you. I've trained many people who weigh between 300 and 500 pounds, and the pain you're feeling in your knees and hip is not unusual. The more weight we carry, the more strain our joints endure. You're wise to look for low impact exercises.

We all know by now that there are just some foods you should stay away from. Trans fats, for instance. And high fructose corn syrup too. But those are in lots of things -- what specific foods should you stay away from? eDiets recently put together a list of the foods you should always avoid:

1. Cheeseburger and Fries. Fatty meat topped with fatty processed cheese, in between white bread with a side of fatty deep-fried starch. Yikes.
   
2. Doughnuts. Deep-fried dough and sugar -- it's tasty, but not very nutritious.
   
3. Fried Chicken, chicken fingers and chicken nuggets. Chicken is good for you, but not when it's processed, battered and deep fried.
   
4. Packaged lunches. You know, those ones for kids. Convenient, but ... ick!
5. Sugary cereal. Start your day off with a whole bunch of energy-draining sugar? No thanks.
   
6. Processed Meats. You never know what goes into those meats -- and you don't want to.
   
7. Canned soup. It's got wayyyyy to much sodium.
   

I know, I'm springing this quiz on you with no prior warning. You had no time to prepare or study and for that, I apologize. But that's the whole point of this little test, to determine just how off-the-cuff savvy you are about a few health matters. Are you ready? Here goes.

True of False: The term "fat free" means a food contains no fat.

True or False: Feed a cold, starve a fever.

True of False: White sugar and brown sugar have the same nutritional value.

For the correct answers, click below.

He's lost more weight than he ever imagined, and he's still losing. He's dropping more weight at home, in fact, than he did as a contestant on NBC's The Biggest Loser. And that makes him a winner, despite his eviction from the show.

Jim Germanakos, 41, is 136 pounds lighter today than when he first set foot on the Biggest Loser set. He's dedicated everything to his weight loss, he told Today Show host Ann Curry on Tuesday. He left the comforts of home, left his wife and kids, and set forth on a journey he says is still not complete. Germanakos wants to lose another 35 pounds. I have a hunch he'll do it.

How exactly will he do it? Well, he'll work hard, hit the gym, and continue practicing what trainer Jillian Michaels has been drilling into his head about nutrition. He will (1) count calories, (2) avoid trans fats, (3) limit processed foods, and (4) consume mostly organic products. That should do it for the man who is putting his health and family first, the man who has inspired his wife to lose 45 pounds, the man who has happily become: one big loser.

My six-year-old had a friend over after school the other day, and I eagerly served up a variety of fruit for snack time. It went pretty well. My own two guys ate watermelon, apple slices, and strawberries. And although our visitor's first reaction was, "I don't like vegetables," we were able to coax him into consuming a little fresh fruit.

Our guest chose watermelon. And he had a special request: "Can I have some salt?" he asked. Joey jumped right up and grabbed the salt container we rarely use in our house. Our new friend was happy.

So, what's the deal with salt? Is it OK to indulge a little? Or is it becoming a no-no to sprinkle our foods with tiny, salty white granules? According to a recent study, we'd be wise to adopt a low-sodium diet. It could cut the risk of heart disease by as much as 25 percent.

Kudos to nearly all New York City restaurants who are now complying with phase one of the city's new trans fat regulation. Those still using spreads or fry oils containing the artificial trans fat will be fined by the Health Department.

A whopping 94 percent of 3,300 restaurants inspected between July 1 and September 1 were using zero grams of trans fat. Before the regulation had passed, 50 percent were in compliance. By June, 80 percent were on board. And for the few still not passing with flying colors, it seems margarine use is the hold-up. Fines starting at $200 -- fining began on October 1 -- is the penalty for non-compliance.

"Despite claims to the contrary, New York City restaurants have shown that it's easy to get artificial trans fat out of spreads and fry oils," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Health Commissioner for New York City. "New Yorkers are now enjoying more healthful foods without any change in taste or price."

Are trans fats on their way out from all foods in the U.S.? That is the wish y many experts on nutrition and public health these days, and they are calling on food industry leaders to help make it happen.

During the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting this week, conclusions were presented by the 'Trans Fat Free Americas Task Force ' in order to open a dialog into jettisoning that type of processed oil permanently.

Do I see this coming in the next decade? Yes. Many restaurants and food companies already market themselves as "trans fat free" and the continuation of that trend will only grow larger until having trans fat in your products make you the joke of the shelf. It's only a matter of time.

Fish is generally a very healthy product to eat, unless it is fried in a bucket of trans fat-containing oil. Fried fish tastes great to most, but in general it's the fat being tasted there, not the fish. Same goes for most fried foods.

But, this is not sitting well with Japanese scientists, who want to create a more healthy version of fried fish -- with less fat. to do so, they've invented a new fish batter that's still extra crispy, but has less amounts of fat than what most of us know as current fish batter.

Now this is the neat part -- these scientists analyzed how the structure of batter molecules change during the frying process. To take the process a step further, the water content was altered along with the frying time to create a very tasty and crispy batter, while jettisoning much of the fat used to fry the batter in the process. Now, if all fried foods could go through the same process, we'd be onto something.

Want to model some of the best eating habits in the world? Then consider adopting a Mediterranean diet. People from this region of the world have low cholesterol, few incidences of coronary heart disease and cancer, and much longer lives than those who eat the typical American diet. Amazingly, their diet is significantly higher in fat than what the American Heart Association recommends. How do they do it?

Well, they eat loads of plant foods rich in antioxidants. Think colorful fruits and vegetables. Seafood, abundant with heart-healthy nutrients, is also a staple in their diet. Most important: Their diet is free of the two bad fats we tend to consume without a second thought -- saturated fats and trans fats, the ones that stick to our arteries like glue. Try extra virgin olive oil and grapeseed oils to trim your intake of these fats.

It seems the Mediterraneans have the right idea. We should be so wise to follow their lead.

Confused about how many trans fats your body needs? Let me help. Zero.

Trans fats -- abundant in cookies, candies, pastries, fried food, and margarine -- are not necessary in any way, shape, or form. There's no need to eat them at any level, especially because they seriously up the risk of heart disease.

Make it your project, starting today, to buy only foods with zero trans fats. Nutrition labels now make it easy to identify trans fat-free foods, and there are more of these products on the shelves than ever before. Head to the outside aisles of your grocery store for fresh fruits, veggies, fish, and whole grains -- OK and maybe small amounts of healthy oils like olive and canola. This way, you'll be sure to stay out of trans fat trouble.

A few years ago, low-fat and no-fat foods were all the rage. Many of us were convinced that the secret to losing weight was not eating fat. Most now know that fat is actually an essential part of a healthy diet, in part because it helps keeps you full and prevents you from overeating. That means that some fat can actually help you lose weight. While there are types of fat that you should avoid, there are others that play an important part of healthy eating.

It is important to stay away from trans-fats and to limit saturated fats as they can increase your levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol that leads to heart disease. However, monounsaturated fats (found in stuff like olive oil, avocados, almonds, Brazil nuts and sesame seeds) are great because they do the opposite -- they reduce cholesterol levels and can lower your risk of heart disease.

Essential fatty acids -- including Omega-3 fatty acids, which are in foods such as nuts, salmon, fish oils, flaxseed and more -- are necessary as your body doesn't naturally produce them, but they're required in order for your cells to rebuild and reproduce. So the next time you're label-reading, remember that not all fats are created the same, and know what to avoid as well as what to search out.