Chances are you may have had a food product that contained Trans Fatty Acids. What's the danger you ask? I 'm about to share with you just a little of the hidden dangers and certain death that some of the most popular foods you eat can cause.

Do you eat foods such as, vegetable shortenings, margarine, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with Trans Fatty Acids with are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils? Well if you do you are putting yourself and your family at risk for very serious diseases like Alzheimer's, Coronary Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes!

What are Trans Fatty Acids? These are hydrogenated oils that are created by fusing gas and oils together with what's called a metal catalyst. The catalyst is made of, nickel, aluminum or cobalt. The oils and hydrogen are fused together in temperatures reaching over 400 degrees, thereby changing the molecular structure of the oil.

Keep in mind that the metals that are used in the process of hydrogenation arehighly toxic to your body with prolong use, which to me is bad enough, but the real culprit is the fact that the hydrogenated oils are "altered" and "unnatural" so your body cannot eliminate them naturally. Aluminum by itself has been shown to cause Cancer and Alzheimer's disease!

Kraft Foods, whom by the way is owned by Phillip Morris (the tobacco company) manufacturers everything from cheese to nutritional bars admits on their official website that and I quote "Consuming Trans Fatty Acids is directly linked to Coronary Heart Disease." They also say that the use of TFA (hydrogenated oils) improve the "texture" and "freshness" of certain products.

The fact is that companies use these oils because the cost is cheaper, the oil does not go rancid and quickly and they get more volume from the hydrogenation process thereby allowing them to sell more of it! Did you know this??

The FDA states that food manufacturers can list their products as, 0 Trans Fat on their labels if the amount of Trans Fat is less than (0.5 grams) per serving.

Now how many of you eat The Suggested Serving Size that's on the packaging?????

The New England Journal of Medicine -- June 24, 1999 -- Vol. 340, No. 25, states," product labeling is not enough because fast foods contain high amounts of trans fatty acids and are exempt from labeling regulation". They also state, "Changing the use of hydrogenated oils to un-hydrogenated oils would substantially reduce the risk of coronary heart disease."

So with all this knowledge, what are your alternatives? Mono or polyunsaturated fats that are found in Olive and Peanut oils are the best oils to use. These oils do not clog your arteries but you should still use them in moderation. Please stay away from anything pre packaged and don't fry your foods, bake them instead. Start cooking "real foods" again!

In closing, please take care of yourself. Do not think because you may be young, physically active or even "vegetarian" that you cannot fall victim to the deathly additives in food products today. Read labels! With every meal you consume, you are either poisoning or your nourishing your body!

Salkis Re is a cosmetologist licensed in both New York and Georgia and a member of the American Cancer Society Look Good Feel Better program. She started her crusade to uncover the dangers of foods after the death of her own father to the disease of diabetes.

For more information on food dangers and natural alternatives please email her at naturesbesinc@aol.com