FDA Labeling and Nutritionists Take Aim at TRANSFATS,'the Worst Fats' in the American Diet

Morning Call ^ | 7/30/03 | Ann Wlazelek

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Which snack food contains more Trans fatty acids?

Fritos corn chips or Cheetos Cheese Puffs?

Both have the same, according to their labels — zero grams per serving.

Surprised? I was. Not only because these popular, greasy Frito-Lay snack foods contain no trans fats, considered to be ''the worst fats'' in the American diet, but also because their labels already list the amounts of trans fats at all.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Hydrogenation changes the food's chemical structure into something more difficult for the body to absorb, Danga-Storm explained, so it tends to clog arteries.

Popcorn might surprise a lot of people, Buch continued. Made on a stove with a little canola oil or in a hot-air popper, it is a healthy, low-fat snack, she said. But most regular varieties popped in the microwave end up coating the kernels with trans fat. One bag can contain up to 30 grams.

[Rodney King]

In the end, nothing beats a steak, mashed potatos, and a green salad, with two glasses of red wine. I could eat that for every single meal. In fact, I probably eat that three times per week.

[corkoman]

30 years from now they will identify trans-fats as essential nutrients and marvel at the diets of the folks in the 1980s-2000.

[epluribus_2]

The article is still full of high-carbohydrate low fat suggestions that lead to the obesity/heart disease epidemic in the first place. Throw away the popcorn and pasta and eat a steak (with some veggies) - HDL will go up, LDL down and you will lose wait. (/flamesuit on in case any AMA type physicians are around)

[epluribus_2]

wait = weight

[randita]

Dr. Atkins warns against transfat. This article describes why--the body cannot process it.

[yankeedame]

In the end, nothing beats a steak, mashed potatos, and a green salad, with two glasses of red wine. I could eat that for every single meal. In fact, I probably eat that three times per week.

And don't forget that slice of cheese cake or key-lime pie to round out the meal...oh,yeah, and a little brandy at the end to help everything "settle".

[Sunshine Sister]

Add a piece of garlic bread to that and I'm in hog heaven!

[Lil'freeper]

The author's 'experts' are dieticians- they only know how to recite the official party line. That one 'expert' couldn't answer a simple question (''How does hydrogenation turn a good oil, such as canola oil, into a bad fat?'' ) suggests the rest of their advice, and their overly simplistic explanation of how transfats act in the body, should be taken with a huge grain of salt. The research does not support their assertions that naturally saturated animal fats are as heinous as artificially saturated vegetable fats or that polyunsaturates are a panacea of health.

[mrtysmm]

I like the way you think! My menu for dinner is set.....thank you.

[recovering_lefty]

>> A healthier choice would be Baked Lays,
>> which contain only 1.5 grams of fat,
>> none of which is saturated or trans fat.

I don't know if this is true. I recently looked at the label on a bag of Baked Lays... and it listed hydrogenated oil as an ingredient!

Buyer beware...

[Semper Paratus]

They can have my pork ribs when they rip it out of my cold greasy fingers.

[RonF]

I don't want the government to tell me what I can eat, but having the government require food companies to tell me what I am eating is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.

[Sam Cree]

I think the article is right about the dangers of "trans fats."

However, IMO, animal protein, and fat, are likely necessary to our health.

She is way off the mark in recommending a low fat diet though, which I believe is unhealthy and speeds up the aging process.

I feel years younger since going off the low fat diet I followed for years and adding animal fat back in. Not only that, but my blood work seems better now (tryglycerides and cholesterol), tho it was Ok before. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that I think the low fat regime was making me feel much older than I really am. I think it was slowly killing me.