When reading Taco Bell’s nutrition facts, remember this: Any restaurant food that is fried can contain trans-fatty acids. When it comes to fats, there are good and bad. Trans fats are the worst.

Taco Bell doesn’t have as many fried foods on its menu as most fast food restaurants, except for the “crisp potato soft taco.” A single serving, say one of their crispy tacos, contains less than half a gram of trans fat. But, if you eat two tacos, your total intake is at least one gram.

The restaurant switched from partially hydrogenated soybean oil to canola. Canola oil is one of the healthiest oils to cook with, as it contains a balanced amount of omega-6 and omega-3.

But even so, the trans fat content of their food varies, probably due to the taco shells. Depending on how the shells are made, lard may be used. Also, there are some natural trans fats, particularly in beef.

Food manufacturers in the US may say that their products contain 0 grams of trans fat, as long as there is less than half a gram per serving. Therefore, the published Taco Bell Nutrition Facts meet those requirements. They are in “compliance”, so to speak.

From a health standpoint, it’s important to avoid trans fats, as they cause cholesterol imbalances. Although a food may be free of cholesterol, if it contains trans fatty acids, it causes an increase in the levels of LDL or bad cholesterol and a decrease in the levels of good HDL cholesterol.

The only thing a cholesterol-rich food like eggs could do is cause an increase in total levels. Recent studies indicate that people who eat eggs regularly actually have lower blood cholesterol levels than those who don’t.

If you’re reading the Taco Bell nutrition facts because you need to lose weight, you’ll notice that a single serving, like one of the soft meat tacos, contains more than 200 calories, provides just 10 grams of protein, and contains more than 620 mg of sodium. . Foods high in sodium are bad from a health standpoint, because they increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure. From the point of view of weight loss, they are bad, because they cause fluid retention.

If you must eat out, use Taco Bell’s Nutrition Facts as a comparison tool. Don’t be fooled by the salads, they are even higher in calories than other menu items.