The Trans-fat Conspiracy

Pendejo

As most of you already know, partially hydrogenized oils contain trans-fat, a completely artificial plastic-like substance that substitutes for butter here in the U.S. It's extremely bad stuff, clogs arteries, blocks the absorption of healthy fats, etc. A recent medical study concluded that the safe level of consumption is ZERO. (The American Medical Association, wimps that they are, recently claimed that it's safe to consume 1% of your fats as trans-fats.)

For years, I have stayed away from products whose ingredient labels indicated partially hydrogenized oils. Because of this, I though my diet was healthy. I was very wrong. The corporate whores in the U.S. can legally use other names on the ingredient label, such as modifed food starch, vegetable ghee, margarine, etc. When I recently learned this, and studied the labels again, I found I was eating plenty of stuff with that crap: breads, frozen yogurt, popcorn, jams, cookies from a "health store," some oil-based salad dressings, etc.

So what we have here in the good old U.S. is this: the exact same stuff (for example, margarine) that for so many years has been touted as healthier than dairy-based products is actually deadly in the long-run; when you go to the doctor with high-cholesterol, right away they put you on expensive drugs for life and don't even mention trans-fats. I've checked this with several people who have heart disease and go to cardiologists. Not one has been warned about trans-fats being in so many things we buy. If it's mentioned at all, it's incidental to a general discussion about "eating healthy." Well, that's what I thought I was doing.

I'm wondering - those of you in other countries - what's the story with trans-fats in the food you buy there? I have a feeling that other countries would be better protected by their governments. I might be wrong. But I can say without reservation that the U.S. political system is one of the most corrupt in the world. (Obviously not just because of the above. It's just another good example.)

Archibald

can't say i've ever heard of trans-fat before.
i look more at the amounts tables than the ingredients lists...

ric_stern/RST

you can purchase margarines (actually, they are termed "spreads") in the UK that contain zero trans fatty acids. However, you can also buy spreads (and other foods with trans fatty acids)

Ric

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friedmikey

The US's FDA now requires that all food labels include information about trans fat content.

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matteobma

You have exposed a big problem common to many countries... but unfortunately healt, laws and business doesn't follows the same path.
I also try to avoid trans-fat reading package, but in Suisse i am not sure there is a law that a producer must declare trans-fat on package.
I don't understand why don't stop producer to use it, they produce an high healt cost,...(and business )

ebola

I think on these forums I read the recomendation 'dont eat anything that comes out of a packet!' (really meaning anything processed or pre-prepared in any way whatsosever, a packet containing rolled oats would be fine.. ).
The logic being, i imagine, its the only way to be sure of what you are / aren't consuming..

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SportDoc

Ouch. Start looking as it is very important to your health.

The poster brings up a good point. Trans-Fats or Hydrogenated oils are really one of the most detrimental substances in our food. It is like adding "plastic" to our cells. This makes them less pliable and thus almost assuredly promotes dysfunction in the body.

One can not trust the US FDA for watching out for your health. It would be easy to come up with conspiracy theories on their recommendations and promotion of sick americans. Look at Trans-Fat, a food pyramid that was flawed from the start causing a skyrocketing of diabetes and subsequent cardiovascular disease to name a few.....

Archibald

been looking now, but only found one which actually said "trans-fat".
had an asterisk that went to a note saying "virtually no trans-fat content" or some such thing. and this was in a supposedly healthier margerine (one of the olive oil ones).
this was in the content table of the product too.

what other items that you will see on content tables or ingredient lists actually contain trans-fat and should be watched out for??

SportDoc

Look for hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list-those are your trans-fats.

Pendejo

More deception to watch for. If a serving of a product contains less than 1/2 gram of trans-fat, they can put 0% trans-fat on the label. This explains why foods whose labels show partially hydrogenized oils also show 0% trans-fat. So you can have four or five servings of these 0% foods in a day, and actually be ingesting up to 2-3 grams of trans-fats. The Institute of Medicine has stated that there is no safe intake level. And The Nurse's Study of Harvard's School of Public Health indicates that 2-3 grams per day increase the risk of heart disease by 21%.

Now that I've started to look at labels more closely, I am amazed and disgusted every day by what I've been eating and thinking was safe. Like Lite and Lively Cottage Cheese! Vanilla-flavored yougurt!

Archibald

cheers for that!

Biker_gal34

I'm wondering - those of you in other countries - what's the story with trans-fats in the food you buy there? I have a feeling that other countries would be better protected by their governments. I might be wrong. But I can say without reservation that the U.S. political system is one of the most corrupt in the world. (Obviously not just because of the above. It's just another good example.)[/QUOTE]
In Canada, levels of trans fats are lower in fast food than in the U.S. They are encouraged to pull trans fat out of food entirely and I believe there are financial incentives for doing so. Further, they must provide full nutrition info on their food. Actually all food in Canada must be labled with the new nutrition labled, and trans fats are included on this lable as are satuated fats.

SportDoc

This is a bit much. I know it is trendy to rip the US, but please. Rip away until calamity hits and then everyone calls upon the US for money, support, etc, etc.

ric_stern/RST

Important Note: that quote is not from BikerGal, but the original poster.

Ric

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