Oh Yeah, YOU Hold the Trans Fat!
As a professional in the Health & Wellness field I receive quite a few daily e-newsletters. I like SmartPeople's newsletter. I don't always agree with what they have to say, but generally the info is spot on.
Today I came across one that got my attention and got me irritated with it's suggestion. Yes, it seemed so simple, but in reality it is a very difficult thing to do.
Trans Fats. A controversial fat. A man-made product that replaces natural fat in a variety of "shelf-ready" food products. Trans Fats are on the market for 3 reasons. 1. cheaper 2. stable shelf life in processed foods (foods stay "fresh" longer where as natural fats go bad in shorter time) 3. first presumed healthier when it came to our blood lipid profiles.
Oh these trans fats had a bright future when first introduced some 30 years ago. Today you can't find a packaged food product without some level of trans fat included.
Same holds true with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Man made food products primarily designed to increase shelf life of foods. Presumable to feed our growing populations.
Both are killing us. No not immediately. And really it might be difficult to prove in court that these products are to blame for lives lost prematurely. And you could argue that these products have actually helped feed our poor hungry nation.
Having been in the health field for 25+ years I have even promoted the use of these products, reduce cholesterol levels by eating margarine for one. Choose whole wheat versions of foods, now even my beloved Wheaties" has no sugar added, but are artificially sweetened with HFCS! AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
Right now my only advice for folks who are really trying to improve their health nutritionally is: Eat Locally Grown, Choose Whole and where ever feasible Organically Grown foods. I can't consciously advice otherwise.
To do so takes effort. time and forces learning how to cook instead of "heating up" what we put together out of the box. That in reality is a BIG adjustment. At least for me it is. I never learned how to really cook. I'm learning, but it's a process.
When I read the advice such as the one below, which is good advice, I get a little angry. The advice is sound, but it's not thaty simple or that realistic. Just read the lables and avoid foods that have these ingredients listed on the label it suggests. Well, try it out. See if you can find yourself some macaroni & cheese that you can fix in 5 minutes. You pretty much have to make the dish from scratch to do it.
Tell that to a time pressed single mom on a limited budget! Tell that to a college student or a senior citizen who needs to decide between bus fare to their classes,medications and food.
The advice is sound. The advice from SmartPeople is correct. But it gives it to you like it's easy to just switch. It's not.
But that doesn't mean the journey toward healthy eating should be abondoned. Not at all. One just needs to realize that it will take a bit more, well a lot more effort, than a "sound bite".
The fact that a Harvard study found (keep in mind it's ONE study too) that just a 2% increase in Trans Fats increases one's risk of heart disease (yes, our most chronic illness) by a whopping 93%! That's HUGE. That's worrisome. That's cause to address the problem at the root - with our food industry.
by SmartPeople.com
What do bread, crackers, cereal, macaroni and cheese, frozen pizza, doughnuts, and cookies have in common? Besides being at the top of the list of many kids' favorite foods, they are all possible sources of trans fats. Trans fats are oils that, through a process called hydrogenation, have been chemically altered from their original liquid states into solid shortening. The process extends the shelf life of the oil and improves the texture of the food to which the oil is added. Many manufacturers add it to their products for these reasons.
However, when you add those foods to your grocery cart, you're increasing your risk of heart disease (and your kid's too), because trans fats are artery-clogging professionals. They carry cholesterol to the arteries, drop it off, and go looking for more. A Harvard Medical School study of 80,000 women found that a 2% increase in trans fat consumption increased a woman's risk of heart disease by 93%.
But you can still have your cake, eat it, and have a healthy heart, too. Just avoid products that list "partially hydrogenated" vegetable oil or shortening as an ingredient.
A cup of sugar blended with a bar of soft butter tastes better, and is better for you, than macaroni and cheese, take a tums to replace the calcium.
ReplyDeleteSome food is just not good for you, however prepared.