Trans fat is vegetable fat that has been chemically altered by a process called hydrogenation. This process turns healthy fat, such as corn oil or soy bean oil, into a solid, unhealthy fat. The result is a type of fat that is worse for you than saturated fat, and is linked to increased LDL (“bad cholesterol”), decreased HDL (“good cholesterol”), and increased triglyceride levels, which all contribute to heart disease and insulin resistance.

How Much is Too Much?

The American Heart Association recommends that less than 1 percent of your daily calories come from trans fat (that’s two grams of trans fat for a 2,000 calorie diet).

How Do You Avoid It?

Read nutrition labels and look at the saturated fat and trans fat. Remember that the information is given per serving, so check the serving size as well. Choose reduced-fat and fat-free products, but only if other unhealthy ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils have not been added. Always check ingredient listings for the term partially hydrogenated. The ingredient list is different than the nutrition label, and is often where fat information is hidden. Ingredient information is listed from greatest to smallest amounts, so if partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup are listed as the first few ingredients, choose another product. Read More

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created reporting rules under Code Sections 6055 and 6056 that require certain employers to provide information to the IRS about the health plan coverage they offer (or do not offer) or provide to their employees. Each reporting entity must annually file all of the following with the IRS:

• • A separate statement (Form 1095-B or Form 1095-C) for each individual who is provided with minimum essential coverage (for providers reporting under Section 6055), or for each full-time employee (for ALEs reporting under Section 6056)
• • A transmittal form (Form 1094-B or Form 1094-C) for all of the returns filed for a given calendar year

Reporting entities must also furnish related statements (Form 1095-B or 1095-C) to individuals. Read more

Jan. 1 signals a new calendar year, and for many Americans, a “new year, new me” mentality. In fact, according to Business Insider, getting in shape is consistently the most popular New Year’s resolution in the United States. While making lifestyle changes, as approved by a doctor, is not a bad thing, turning to a fad diet to achieve a resolution of getting in shape is not ideal or healthy.

What’s a fad diet?

Fad diets typically promise quick weight loss, oftentimes through unhealthy and unbalanced dieting. A diet can be considered a fad if it: Read more

High cholesterol increases your chances of developing heart disease—the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in fats in your blood which your body needs to function. Having too much cholesterol, though, can be dangerous for your health.

What’s in a Number?

In the past, doctors thought that total cholesterol was a good indicator of one’s risk for heart disease, heart attack, diabetes and stroke. The lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) numbers and the higher your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) numbers, the better—or so they thought.

While measuring HDL, LDL and total cholesterol is helpful, many experts now believe that assessing the size of lipoprotein particles can also be beneficial.

The Lipoprotein Link

Research indicates that the blockage of arteries (which often leads to heart disease) is caused by the number and size of the lipoprotein particles that carry cholesterol throughout your body. These lipoprotein particles can build up in your arteries.

Think of it this way: These lipoproteins are the “cars” that carry “passengers” (cholesterol) along the “highways” (arteries)—it’s not the number of passengers in a car that causes a traffic jam (blocked artery), it’s the number of cars. Read more