Trans fats are now banned in Canada, however, a local dietician says the alternative many companies will be moving towards won't be any healthier.

"Unfortunately, the alternative is palm oil which is actually not much healthier and is actually terrible for the environment," Southern Health Sante Sud Dietician Jody Chanel explains.

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from palm fruit, but the industry has been linked to deforestation and habitat loss.

Chanel adds the ban won't reduce the number of processed foods on shelves either, "you'll just see ingredient lists change."

While reducing trans fats is a healthy move for anyone's diet, Chanel says avoiding processed food altogether is wise. She encourages avoiding anything with "hydrogenated" on the label.

"More vegetables or fruits, leaner proteins, cooking at home, smaller portions, all that will be the healthy way to go," she says. "We wouldn't have to worry about trans fats if we would stay away from processed food."

Trans fats are associated with raising "bad" cholesterol and lowering "good" cholesterol leading to fatty deposits and increasing heart attack risk. While trans fats form naturally in milk and beef, Chanel says it's the artificially added trans fats that should be avoided.

The U.S banned trans fats in 2016.