http://www.straightdope.com/columns/061222.html

Leave it to good ol' Cecil to set the record straight.  I didn't realize trans fats were quite that bad.  It's too bad New York is the only state to have banned them so far.

  Y-a-a-a-y..!

  A friend at work says this morning after reading the paper:
 
  "The Democrats are here to save us from ourselves..."

  Those insufferable partisans at, wait a minute...the NYC Municipal Board of Health.!?  Uh...I don't know.  I'm all for culinary freedom but I don't think these guys are radicals, they're just overreaching like bureaucrats are accustomed to doing groove ;) on...

  Y-a-a-a-y..!

  A friend at work says this morning after reading the paper:
 
  "The Democrats are here to save us from ourselves..."

  Those insufferable partisans at, wait a minute...the NYC Municipal Board of Health.!?  Uh...I don't know.  I'm all for culinary freedom but I don't think these guys are radicals, they're just overreaching like bureaucrats are accustomed to doing groove ;) on...


I'm almost inclined to believe it, until I read the results of the studies.  They aren't saving us from ourselves.  They're saving us from corporations trying to maximize their bottom dollar at the expense of your health. 

You won't notice whether something is cooked in trans fats, but your body certainly does.  It's also based on a very large, and very sound study.  This isn't one of those "we studied 300 people for 2 months" things that tends to make the "health" pages of a newspaper.

Try reading the linked article.  Cecil Adams is pretty level headed, not a partisan hack like most of the people you'll hear crowing about this issue.

I'm almost inclined to believe it, until I read the results of the studies.  They aren't saving us from ourselves.  They're saving us from corporations trying to maximize their bottom dollar at the expense of your health.



  I agree, and I pointed this out to my friend, in a roundabout sort of way...

 

You won't notice whether something is cooked in trans fats, but your body certainly does.   It's also based on a very large, and very sound study.  This isn't one of those "we studied 300 people for 2 months" things that tends to make the "health" pages of a newspaper.

Try reading the linked article.  Cecil Adams is pretty level headed, not a partisan hack like most of the people you'll hear crowing about this issue.


  Yes, I read the article and it does tend to make one sit up and take notice.  I don't lump banning trans-fat prepared foods into the same category as, oh, say...the FBI evesdropping on my girlfriend and I arguing on the phone...

  Trans-fat can't be measured below .5%..?

  But you know that someone, somewhere is going to cry "slippery slope..!"

 

  Yes, I read the article and it does tend to make one sit up and take notice.  I don't lump banning trans-fat prepared foods into the same category as, oh, say...the FBI evesdropping on my girlfriend and I arguing on the phone...

  Trans-fat can't be measured below .5%..?

  But you know that someone, somewhere is going to cry "slippery slope..!"



I think it's fine people cry slippery slope, we should always be wary of banning anything.  However that doesn't mean we should never ban anything either.  We don't ban cigarettes, which clearly are worse than trans fats. I guess that's what scares them the most, that the "liberals" are comin' for their smokes or sugar or some other nonsense argument.

If trans fats were banned completely tomorrow, the average person wouldn't notice it was missing from anything they ate.  The way the talking heads have been screaming, you'd think taking away something no one can taste is the worse crime of all. 

It's a small adjustment, and if applied to all business, would spread the pain around evenly and fairly, while at the same time helping to improve the health of everyone.  One less thing to check labels for.

this is irritating...

http://www.kelloggs.com/cgi-bin/brandpages/fileBlob.pl?md5=871a4e4838f34e48055eb0556f26a872

the website for the french toaster sticks says 0 trans fats.  The box says 1.5g per serving.

I wouldn't care much if it was something I eat, but we buy these strictly for the baby.  He gets half a serving.  The feds say 2 grams is more than a full adult should be having. 

We looked through the cabinet tonight out of sheer morbid curiosity.  Some of the stuff that has it we would consider crap food anyways, so we tend to limit the amount we eat.  No big deal.  When it shows up in waffles but not pop tarts, that tends to surprise you.  When it shows up in a few of the things you feed the baby (who is picky enough as it is), that ticks me off.

They don't let them put Strychnine in food, or DDT, this stuff is just as bad, and virtually inescapable. 

I always have a problem with studies that say "you won't be able to taste the difference" because I usually CAN.  For example, I have friends who swear that Splenda tastes just like sugar, but I can tell immediately if something is made with it because it doesn't.  There was also one of the fast food chains a few years ago (McD's maybe?) that changed the cooking oil the fries were cooked in to make them "more healthy" (like fries that are deep fried are ever really healthy ::)) and I could barely stand to eat them.  I have a problem when states start "banning" stuff like this because of medical studies.....in a few years, there will probably be one that says the "healthier cooking oil" is bad for you ::)

I always have a problem with studies that say "you won't be able to taste the difference" because I usually CAN.  For example, I have friends who swear that Splenda tastes just like sugar, but I can tell immediately if something is made with it because it doesn't.  There was also one of the fast food chains a few years ago (McD's maybe?) that changed the cooking oil the fries were cooked in to make them "more healthy" (like fries that are deep fried are ever really healthy ::)) and I could barely stand to eat them.  I have a problem when states start "banning" stuff like this because of medical studies.....in a few years, there will probably be one that says the "healthier cooking oil" is bad for you ::)


McDonald's switched to a healthier frying oil?  Maybe they switched their frying oil, but they didn't remove the trans fats yet.

http://www.bantransfats.com/mcdonalds.html

Trans Fats have been huge news in the U.K this year, lots of major brands are stopping using them due to public outcry. There is absolutely NO real need to use them except they extend the shelf life of foods. It's scary how many foods do have them in when you start checking packets.

McDonald's switched to a healthier frying oil?  Maybe they switched their frying oil, but they didn't remove the trans fats yet.

http://www.bantransfats.com/mcdonalds.html
I'm not sure if it was them or not, but I remember someone did and when it flopped, they switched back to the old stuff....guess I wasn't the only one who could taste the difference...It may have just been a local thing as well, since McD's is headquartered in Oak Brook ???