Hydrogenated oils

This ingredient is the code name for "trans-fats" and it runs rampant in fried foods and packaged goods...it also has been closely linked to these conditions:

Heart Disease...

High Cholesterol...

Alzheimer Disease...

High Blood Pressure...

Stroke... 

And how about this one? DEATH.

And that's even by consuming just a small amount daily.

What foods most commonly contain trans fats? Here are some of the most common:

French Fries - 14.5 grams of trans fat in the average medium sized order of french fries! Eat that every day and you won't be living long. Go with baked sweet potato fries instead.

Margarine and Vegetable Shortening - Anywhere from 30 - 40% trans fat...no thank you! Go with organic butter instead.

Fast Food - An original chicken dinner at KFC will reward you with 7 grams of trans fat, but it's not just the fried foods...it's even in the desserts! You'll find trans fat in almost all heavily processed foods, and there's very few foods more processed than fast food!

Donuts and other baked goods - BAD. Trans fat often in the batter and dough and then many times fried on top of it! This includes cookies, pastries, muffins, brownies, and just about every other baked good you can think of. Instead, go with true "baked" baked goods (not fried) and try some of the gluten-free varieties to avoid the wheat on top of it. We just tried a gluten free brownie mix made with rice flour and a pretty healthy ingredient profile...not bad for a sweet treat every so often!

Cereal (even most "healthy" varieties) - For example, Post Selects "Great Grains" contains 2 grams of trans fat per cup. NOT so healthy. Go with old fashioned oatmeal instead, or a true sprouted grain cereal that doesn't contain processed wheat.

Salad Dressings - Notorious for containing loads of partially hydrogenated oils and trans fat, steer clear of most store-bought salad dressings. Instead go with a homemade recipe that calls for extra virgin olive oil at the base.

And there are a bunch of others, but those are some of the biggest culprits. Again, read your labels and make sure you avoid partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils like the plague.