transfats

[MrBern]

NYC sets the nat'l standard, first major municipal ban on the use of all but tiny amounts of artificial trans fats in restaurant cooking.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/nyregion/06fat.html

Trans fats are the chemically modified food ingredients that raise levels of a particularly unhealthy form of cholesterol and have been squarely linked to heart disease.

the Board of Health approved a separate measure — also the first of its kind in the country — requiring some restaurants, mostly fast food outlets, to prominently display the caloric content of each menu item on menu boards or near cash registers.

 

[scotrace]

Forgive my dopiness

Is this "Crisco?"

 

[melankomas]

Is this "Crisco?"

i believe it's more hydrogenation than crisco.

 

[Barry]

reminded me of a song

Put on the skillet,
Slip on the lid,
Mama's gonna make
Some short'nin' bread

 

[Doctor Strange]

Apparently, Crisco was indeed the first widespread commercial implementation of trans fats. See the Wiki entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fats

 

[Feraud]

I do not think this is referring to Crisco. The problems are with the chemically altered fats that restaurants use in their cooking.
What surprised me was the small but vocal opposition by people who do not agree with the ban!
Unlike smoking where there is either a smoking or not establishment, people can still get all the junk food they want! It is just a little bit healthier.

 

[GOK]

But there will always be those that will argue that their rights are being taken away by the nanny state...yada yada yada - even if the aim is to make them more healthy. :eusa_doh:

 

[Jay]

But there will always be those that will argue that their rights are being taken away by the nanny state...yada yada yada - even if the aim is to make them more healthy. :eusa_doh:

Whatever it is, I'm against it!

 

[GOK]

Whatever it is, I'm against it!

Awww you're just sayin' that! lol

 

[MrBern]

I do not think this is referring to Crisco. The problems are with the chemically altered fats that restaurants use in their cooking.
What surprised me was the small but vocal opposition by people who do not agree with the ban!
Unlike smoking where there is either a smoking or not establishment, people can still get all the junk food they want! It is just a little bit healthier.

Well th problems are that Transfats have a good shelf life & so it makes some products easier to produce & distribute. AND the transfats are tasty. So in testing substitutes, some companies like McDonalds are very concerned that their food wont taste the same even tho they'd be far healthier.
The transfats dont seem to get burned up as efficiently in th body. So people & test animals put on unhealthy weight & fill w/ unhealthy cholestorol. I recall reading one study where scientists kept the labanimals on a minimum of calories, BUT they still put on weight from the transfats....

 

[Feraud]

Well th problems are that Transfats have a good shelf life & so it makes some products easier to produce & distribute. AND the transfats are tasty. So in testing substitutes, some companies like McDonalds are very concerned that their food wont taste the same even tho they'd be far healthier.
The transfats dont seem to get burned up as efficiently in th body. So people & test animals put on unhealthy weight & fill w/ unhealthy cholestorol. I recall reading one study where scientists kept the labanimals on a minimum of calories, BUT they still put on weight from the transfats....

I agree! From a business standpoint transfats are a goldmine. From a human consumptive perspective.. less so.
I expect business to defend their product. No one expects (or should expect) altruism from a business.
I am glad they have finally banned these fats. What is sad are people who cannot process all the information that is out there regarding their health. The sad part is they make themselves and their children fat and sick then want to sue McDonald's because their food is "bad". :eusa_doh:
Btw, how will Sarge's hold up with the ban?

 

[GOK]

What are Trans Fatty Acids?

They are man-made or processed fats, which are made from a liquid oil. When you add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil and then add pressure, the result is a stiffer fat, like the fat found in a can of Crisco. Trans fats are also called hydrogenated fats.

Why are They Bad for You?

Trans fats pose a higher risk of heart disease than saturated fats, which were once believed to be the worst kind of fats. While it is true that saturated fats -- found in butter, cheese and beef, for example -- raise total cholesterol levels, trans fats go a step further. Trans fats not only raise total cholesterol levels, they also deplete good cholesterol (HDL), which helps protect against heart disease.

What Harm do They do to the Body?

The stiffer and harder fats are, the more they clog up your arteries. Trans fats do the same thing in our bodies that bacon grease does to kitchen sinks. Over time, they can "clog the pipes" that feed the heart and brain, which can lead to heart attack or stroke risk.

According to the comprehensive Nurses' Health Study -- the largest investigation of women and chronic disease -- trans fats double the risk of heart disease in women

Learn how to identify high fat and trans fat foods.

When foods have a label, review the ingredient listing. Avoid foods labeled "hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated canola, soybean or cottonseed oil." The listing order for hydrogenated fats is important; if it is listed first, second, or third, there is a lot of it in the food.

Learn the categories of foods that are likely to have trans fats:

• Fast foods - fried chicken, biscuits, fried fish sandwiches, French fries, fried apple or other pie desserts
• Donuts, muffins
• Crackers
• Most cookies
• Cake, cake icing, & pie
• Pop tarts
• Microwave popped corn
• Canned biscuits
• International and instant latte coffee beverages parents are more likely to use

How much trans fats are in your foods?

http://www.umm.edu/features/foods.html



What surprises me is that from what I can gather, labelling on food isn't done as a matter of course over there. Is that right? I do remember some of my US vegan chums telling me how difficult it was at times to find out what foods they could eat because of the lack of labelling. [huh]

 

[MrBern]

I agree! From a business standpoint transfats are a goldmine. From a human consumptive perspective.. less so.
I expect business to defend their product. No one expects (or should expect) altruism from a business.
I am glad they have finally banned these fats. What is sad are people who cannot process all the information that is out there regarding their health. The sad part is they make themselves and their children fat and sick then want to sue McDonald's because their food is "bad". :eusa_doh:
Btw, how will Sarge's hold up with the ban?

Well, the food is 'bad'. Its being produced w/ an ingredient that many people dont realize is very bad for them.
If you ate fries made in transfats for a month you would be less healthy than if you had fries made in say...olive oil.

BTW, lard doesnt have transfat, but it is still a concern for cholesterol & saturated fat.
A good reason why lard & transfats are used instead of say butter, is that the melting point is higher, so baked items would be flakier & appealing.

If you had the choice, would u eat cookies made from lard, transfat or butter?

btw, I believe KFC has also dumped transfats & is redesigning their menu.

 

[scotrace]

But there will always be those that will argue that their rights are being taken away by the nanny state...yada yada yada - even if the aim is to make them more healthy. :eusa_doh:

I would cheerfully take up that argument. It isn't that I think smoking in public is good, or that people should be fat and unhealthy, or that vehicles should be permitted to emit toxic fumes. It's that I so strongly object to having rights whittled away bit by bit until having them becomes less precious and we stop recognizing that they are being taken away.

i remember that there was this war against governmental tyranny...

Sadly, people have to be told not to smoke cigarettes in public, and that eating gobs of fatty goo isn't good for you.

 

[MrBern]

Btw, how will Sarge's hold up with the ban?

http://www.sargesdeli.com/neworder.htm

You'll have to ask them whats in their secret recipe!

Actually, I'm not really sure where transfats fall into Kosher cooking regulations. But Sarges serves nonkosher food as well.

 

[scotrace]

If you had the choice, would u eat cookies made from lard, transfat or butter?

Lard. Absolutely.

 

[Feraud]

You cannot have the transfatty cake...

..and eat it too!

I would cheerfully take up that argument. It isn't that I think smoking in public is good, or that people should be fat and unhealthy, or that vehicles should be permitted to emit toxic fumes. It's that I so strongly object to having rights whittled away bit by bit until having them becomes less precious and we stop recognizing that they are being taken away.

i remember that there was this war against governmental tyranny...

Sadly, people have to be told not to smoke cigarettes in public, and that eating gobs of fatty goo isn't good for you.

I am of the mind that I do not want nor need a govermnment to tell me what is good for me and my family. However as I look around and see the majority suing for their ignorance or abusive behavior, I cannot help sit back and think, "no wonder they are treated like sheep."
That is not to say business does not misrepresent or lie. They do. I do not expect an individual to research every single item they buy or put into their bodies. I see plenty of common sense tossed out the window when it comes to lifestyle choices, until someone gets hurt. Then we cry foul!
Because my car was hit again and the person did not have the decency to put a note on my windshield, my compassion for my fellow man has dropped a notch.
I may disagree with a person's choice, but I do defend their right to eat processed deep friend chicken and fries to their clogged hearts content.

 

[MrBern]

I would cheerfully take up that argument. It isn't that I think smoking in public is good, or that people should be fat and unhealthy, or that vehicles should be permitted to emit toxic fumes. It's that I so strongly object to having rights whittled away bit by bit until having them becomes less precious and we stop recognizing that they are being taken away.

i remember that there was this war against governmental tyranny...

Sadly, people have to be told not to smoke cigarettes in public, and that eating gobs of fatty goo isn't good for you.

It is not so much that people are being told to not buy transfat prepped food , but that institutions are being banned from serving an unhealthy product to an unsuspecting public.
Theres no ban on going out & buying as much transfat as you like to cook up at home.

 

[scotrace]

Ah - an important distinction. Thanks MrBern.

 

[Jay]

Learn the categories of foods that are likely to have trans fats:

• Fast foods - fried chicken, biscuits, fried fish sandwiches, French fries, fried apple or other pie desserts
• Donuts, muffins
• Crackers
• Most cookies
• Cake, cake icing, & pie
• Pop tarts
• Microwave popped corn
• Canned biscuits
• International and instant latte coffee beverages parents are more likely to use

Damn! All the tastiest foods! Figures...