So you’re standing in front of the bakery case at Starbucks.

You scan the items for the least of the nutritional evils. … You know enough to avoid the cinnamon roll. The butterhorn sounds dangerous. But the oatmeal raisin cookie? Looks packed with nuts-and-berries era, granola-like goodness.

Guess what? That cookie’s loaded with 420 calories and 4.5 grams of trans fats, twice the American Heart Association’s daily recommended limit. That’s the ingredient the Center for Science in the Public Interest has labeled “the worst fat of all.”

That’s why Starbucks’ news this week was so welcome. It announced on Tuesday that it would eliminate the trans fats in the baked goods of 50 percent of its stores across the country. That included cities such as Seattle and Portland. By the end of 2007, a company spokesman said, the change should extend to Spokane as well as the rest of the United States.

The company says it began this effort before New York City decided in December to ban trans fats from restaurants. It’s part of a wave of changes rippling the American food industry as consumers become more concerned about the long-term health effects of the food we eat.

The science is clear: Americans sorely need a healthier diet. In 2003, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, an estimated 13 million Americans had heart disease. That year 479,000 people died of it.

Trans fats loom as a particular threat because scientists have found they not only raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, but also lower “good” (HDL) cholesterol. That makes them more dangerous than saturated fats such as butter.

A year ago, the FDA began requiring nutrition labels on food to include trans fats. They’re particularly high in cakes, cookies, margarines and shortening. This ingredient is often labeled as partially hydrogenated oil.

Starbucks now has joined other major chains such as Taco Bell, Wendy’s and KFC in voluntarily reducing trans fats.

These steps should be welcomed by consumers, of course, and also by businesses that increasingly struggle to pay for health insurance for their employees. Reducing the rate of heart disease – one of the leading causes of death in this country – can’t help but lower the bill.

This decision by Starbucks helps lower the risk for customers too time-harried to peruse its nutrition charts. Admittedly, it’s a single shot in Starbucks’ venti-mocha of a menu. It doesn’t save you from the saturated fat and calories of one of those cheesecake-in-a-cup Frappuccinos. You’re still on your own with that one.

But consider this is a happy jolt for your heart. And as more food chains and restaurants adopt these measures voluntarily, the less need there will be for other American cities to follow New York’s lead.

In the meantime, though, here’s a piece of advice to last you until the ban hits our region.

The next time you’re in Starbucks, choose the butterhorn (160 calories, 0.5 grams of trans fat) over the cinnamon roll. At 630 calories and nine grams of trans fat, that’s one sweet, gooey ticket to the cardiac care unit.