For years, nutrition experts have been advising us to avoid foods containing trans fats because of their link to an increased risk of heart disease. Until recently, that warning fell on deaf ears because for the most part, the ingredient remained hidden. Not anymore. The federal government's Jan. 1 deadline to get that information on food labels is in effect.

So the next time you pick up a loaf of bread, a container of margarine or any kind of snack food, the label on the back should tell you if artery-clogging transfat, created during the hydrogenation process, is one of the ingredients. Trans fats are dangerous because they lower your good cholesterol (HDL) and raise your bad cholesterol (LDL).

The labels haven't been out long, but they're already having an effect on the food industry. Kraft, Kellogg, Frito-Lay and other large food manufacturers have responded by announcing plans to reduce or eliminate their use of trans fat. Many restaurant chains are following suit. In many cases, the companies are switching from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil to palm oil.

'Its greatest benefit is that palm oil has the same functional properties as hydrogenated oil -- thus it may be effectively substituted -- but without the health problems,' says Stacey Day, MS, RD, a nutrition consultant from Redford, Mich. 'In fact, human studies have shown palm oil to have a favorable effect on cholesterol.'

Palm oil extracted from the pulp of the fruit grown primarily in Malaysia has approximately 35 percent less saturated fat compared to both coconut oil and palm kernel oil, also grown in tropical regions. Some human studies compared olive oil and palm olein, the liquid fraction of palm oil, and found the same beneficial effects on cholesterol levels. Studies suggest palm oil increases the good HDL cholesterol levels while having a neutral to beneficial effect on the bad LDL cholesterol levels, thus promoting cardiovascular health. Furthermore, palm oil is a nutrient dense oil containing many potent antioxidants including beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A and tocotreinols, a potent form of vitamin E.

It has been the oil of choice overseas for generations, used as a cooking oil, in baking, for frying foods, to make margarine and as a component in many processed foods. So why did American companies replace palm oil with unhealthy trans fats back in the 1960s?

'They didn't know any better,' says Day. 'People were told that saturated fats like palm oil were bad for them so they started looking for alternatives. Well turns out, the alternative was even worse.'

Now realizing its many benefits, several major food manufacturers have started using palm oil in their products again. You'll find it in Nabisco's Golden Oreo cookies, Kellogg's Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal, Pepperidge Farm Oatmeal Cranberry cookies, Voortman Vanilla Wafers, Cadbury Finger Dark Cookies and many products sold at "health food" stores.

You can also find palm oil for sale in your grocery store to cook with at home. It is a very versatile oil. Palm oil has a high smoke point so it is great for stir-fries, saut'ing, grilling, and frying. The red color of palm oil beautifully enhances any salad dressing recipe. Palm oil is tasteless and odorless so it may also be used for baking.

So the next time you see palm oil on a food label, don't hesitate. You now know it's a good oil to consume.