by Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School

Remember when packaged foods emblazoned with the words “fat free” seemed to be everywhere? Then came labels boasting “zero grams of trans fat.” “Sugar free” and “low sodium” claims soon joined the chorus. These days, gluten-free foods are all the rage.

For the most part, food industry trends have echoed the nutritional mantras of the time and were designed to improve our health — especially cardiovascular health. But just how successful have these efforts been?

“It’s a mixed picture, but over all, I think we’re going in a good direction,” says Dr. Walter Willett, professor in nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Here’s a rundown of the major trends over the past few decades.

Terminating trans fat

The biggest change — and greatest success story — is removal of trans fats from processed foods, says Dr. Willett. The main source of these harmful fats is partially hydrogenated oil, a longtime food industry favorite because it’s cheap, it’s easy to use, and it has a long shelf life. For decades, deep-fried fast foods, baked goods, crackers, chips, and margarine were made with partially hydrogenated oils.

View full article at http://bit.ly/2yasXlN