Eliminate trans fats from your diet. Trans fats have earned a bad reputation over the last year, and rightly so. Used to increase shelf life and flavor, trans fat is made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. In essence, the trans fats found in margarine, cookies, crackers, bread and other snack foods are harmful to your health. They raise harmful cholesterol levels and make arteries more rigid, which contribute to heart disease, and they raise insulin levels, potentially raising type 2 diabetes risk. For a long time, trans fat levels slipped by under the radar. However, the FDA has made it a law that manufacturers must now disclose trans fat levels in the nutritional values.