In the wake of New York City’s ruling to ban trans fats, many folks are asking how bad trans fats really are.
My opinion: they’re terrible. This article at WebMD agrees and explains why.
I’m not perfect. I still consume trans fats every now and again. But I do what I can to avoid them.
Keep in mind that “0 Trans Fats” on a product label doesn’t mean there are no trans fats. It usually means there ARE trans fats… but fewer than half a gram per serving, so they’re legally allowed to round down to zero.
Ethical? No. But that’s the way it is right now.
A better approach: Read the label. If you see “partially hydrogenated oils,” then you can be sure the product contains trans fats. Don’t fall for what I call the Zero Trans Fat Scam.
Side Note: I was thinking the other day that a product that claims to have zero trans fats per serving could actually have more trans fats than a product that claims to have, say, 1 gram per serving. How could this be? Simple. Reduce your serving size to the point where there is only 0.49 grams per serving so you can round down.
Example: One product has a serving size of 1 tablespoon with “zero” trans fats (really 0.4 grams per serving). Another product has a serving size of 1 cup with 1 gram of trans fats per serving. Which one has more trans fats? Do the math…
Maybe you’re overweight, suffering blood sugar problems, can’t sleep at night, have difficulty concentrating… You know that drinking pop, eating lots of toast or even wolfing down baked goods from the health food store is not the answer. Read more » |
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What is so terrible about allowing these companies to not report any trans fat under 0.4 grams is that so many food companies are taking advantage of this. They seem to continue to slip it into everything! If someone has a meal including a sandwich, a couple of side dishes, a beverage, and a dessert –and each one of those items contains “hidden” trans fats– a person can easily and unwittingly consume 2 grams of trans fat IN ONE SITTING! Then at the end of the day (after breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple of snacks) the total could rise as high as 16 grams of hidden trans fat IN ONE DAY!
This weekend my mother mentioned that she remembered when “oleo” (a.k.a margarine) hit the mainstream market. It was during WWII and she was a very young child. She vividly remembers that her mother would blend in yellow food coloring to make the oleo appear like real butter — but she was never fooled. “I hated the stuff!” my mom recalled. “I knew it wasn’t the real stuff. I’d rather take my toast dry than put oleo on it.” I find my mother’s first impression of partially hydrogenated oil quite prophetic. It might be part of the reason she’s never suffered from issues with her weight or general health.
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