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New research shows that “buyer beware” philosophy isn’t exactly working when it comes to trans fat. While companies are making strides in removing trans fat from foods, it is still easy to think you’re doing a better job of avoiding the trans fat than you really are. It can be quite confusing to understand what you think you’re reading on labels about trans fat and the reality of what the food contains. Food producers market their foods in a way that can snare a naive consumer, resulting in continued over-consumption of the trans fat.

Trans fat is typically formed when liquid fats are processed, called hydrogenation. Partial hydrogenation makes the oils spreadable or to promote a longer shelf life. While trans fat is found naturally in meats and dairy products, the health risks are more focused on the partially hydrogenated trans fats. These are thought to increase the risk of heart disease, promote inflammation, and increase the risk of cancer–among other health factors.

So, how much trans fat should you have in your diet? Current recommendations call for less than 1 percent of calories from trans fat, which means less than 2 grams per day for most Americans. In addition to the more obvious culprits, such as cookies, fast foods, pies, cakes, french fries and chips, it can also be concentrated in deep-fried fast foods. A restaurant may tout that it fries its foods in trans fat-free oils, but if the product is pre-cooked it may already have trans fat in the processing–something most of us don’t think of.

Another thing to be wary of is that zero trans fat doesn’t mean trans fat free. Yes, really! A food with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving is labeled as 0 trans fat in the United States. Since many of us consume portions larger than a recommended standard serving, you could easily reach or exceed the daily recommended limit by eating several servings of foods with just under 0.5 grams per serving.

Finally, nutritionists are warning Americans to think about what is being used in certain products instead of trans fat. The ingredient that is substituted to achieve the same result can be almost as bad. The best course of action to take is to adopt a healthier eating approach and reducing or eliminating certain foods with fats from your diet altogether. At the very least, become an informed consumer who doesn’t fall for marketing ploys or packaging tricks.