Recently, we have all become aware that foods containing trans fatty acids is bad for your health. Trans fatty acids, commonly called trans fat, is a type of unsaturated fat, which have been industrially created as a byproduct of the partial hydrogenation of plant oils. Trans fats have a different shape than non-trans fats. The difference is that the double bonds between the carbon atoms are in the trans (not the cis) configuration. This gives a straighter shape and causes them to be less fluid and requires a higher melting point.
There are many negative consequences to consuming foods with trans fat such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity, liver dysfunction, increase of LDL cholesterol, and more. The health risks for trans fats has become so apparent that many countries, including the U.S., are requiring companies and restaurants to label the amount of trans fat that is in their products. As a result, many manufacturers and fast food restaurants such as Kraft foods, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Wendy’s are completely eliminating trans fat from their products.
Girl Scout Cookies have also recently eliminated trans fat from their cooking oil and shortenings. They are now marketing their cookies as a healthy snack While some of us may feel guilty of finishing boxes of those delicious Samoas, the improved cookies shouldn’t fool you into thinking they are nutritious.. Their cookies will now contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, which according to the FDA qualifies them to claim that there is zero trans fat.
Read the article here: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=5FBC918E-E7F2-99DF-347CCB2CD10ECB96&sc=I100322
3 comments:
I'm glad the FDA is regulating trans fat content and that fast food companies are actually doing their part to help curb the problem. I was surprised to hear that girl scout cookies have removed almost all of the trans fat, although I think some people will use this as an excuse to eat more cookies! I didn't realize the FDA was regulation the amount of trans fat in foods before I read your post, but I had noticed seeing the amount of trans fat advertised in food. I think the advertising industry is using trans fat as a marketing tool. It's nice to see companies advertising to promote healthy things instead advertising junk foods.
Their cookies will now contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, which according to the FDA qualifies them to claim that there is zero trans fat.
Wow! This seems ridiculous. This means companies will manipulate serving size to be allowed to write zero trans fat on the package label.
That is exactly what I thought about when I read the article. Because essentially, if you consume more than the serving size, you ARE consuming well over a gram of trans fat!
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