Ban on Trans Fats in Eateries?

[southcitymom]

I'm pretty much in agreement here, but I don't want the government to take this too far, as in "Well, we banned 2 things that are bad for you...let's keep going".

I'd just like to say something about "portion control". Have you noticed how insanely big portions are? For a long time whenever I went out to eat, I would finish everything on it because that was how I was raised...not to waste food. I think some of these food companies use putting more food on their plates as a way to justify higher prices, and just recently, my fiance and I have just started splitting dinners when we go out to eat, and we find there is still plenty of food for the both of us, and easier on the wallet. I used to be paranoid that the waiter would be annoyed by this and give us worse service, but I'm over that now.

There are only a small handful of restaurants that will gladly sell you "half portions" of meals, but the thing that irks me is that the half portion isn't half the price...more like a dollar or two off, which is ridiculous in my opinion. Restaurants really need to offer this up as an alternative to people who don't want to eat their enormous amounts or waste the food. The norm should be a smaller portion to begin with...it's 9 times out of 10 enough.

I'm telling you - the lifestyle police will get around to portions soon enough - just you wait! Yes - portions are too big - so lots of times I get to take a bunch home. And I love that because I am a leftovers fan!

 

[Marthatex]

Transfats are terrible; I'm glad they are banned, I don't like to have to ask at different restaurants what they're using.

Coconut oil and palm oil; constantly snuck into packaged foods are also very bad for our arteries and I sure don't have time to read all the labels.

I don't even use margarine; I've been told by doctors that it's no better for you than butter; just use small amounts.

I do all my cooking with olive oil -it's monosaturated and better for the arteries. Fish oils that are in salmon or other fish is better for you than the fat in beef or chicken.

Oh, but gosh, I sure love those fried onion rings now and then!

 

[Floh]

The proposal for a ban passed:

NYC health board bans trans fats at restaurants

New York on Tuesday became the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants, leading the charge to limit consumption of an ingredient linked to heart disease and used in everything from french fries to pizza dough to pancake mix.

In a city where eating out is a major form of activity -- either for fun or out of hectic necessity -- many New Yorkers were all for the ban, saying that health concerns were more important than fears of Big Brother supervising their stomachs.

"I don't care about what might be politically correct and what's not," said Murray Bader, nursing a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday morning. "I want to live longer!" (Watch New York blaze a healthy trail. )

The 72-year-old Manhattan resident called the ban a "wake-up call" for a public often unaware of the risks of artificial fats. "This stuff clogs up your vessels," he said. "When it comes to health, we only have one life."

More: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/12/05/ny.trans.fat.ap/index.html

 

[eve]

There is enough information today (thank you, Gore for inventing the internet! not) that most of us should know what is good and what is bad for us, healthwise. Some of us will choose either way. That is OUR RIGHT! Not the government's right to tell us what to do. Seriously. Think about it. One by one, they are taking it away. Little by little, we are being controlled like little puppets. And, if I can inject some Christian beliefs, God gave us His only Son to die for our sins. He has given each and everyone of us a choice.

If I choose to smoke, I will. If I choose to eat a big, fat, dripping, ooey gooey transfat laden burger or donut, I will. I KNOW the consequences. It's my body. It's my life. I will do what I want.

Do we really want to go back to the Prohibition Days? Seems to me they're doing it slowly but surely. Thinking no one will notice. But, I do and I don't think I'm alone.

The govt. acts like we're the dumbest people around. Come on! The average American can read labels. Like I said before...we can choose to read the labels if we care about that sort of thing.

This is my first post and I apologize for the long rant. It's just been bugging me alot lately.

:clap: Welcome to WS!

I agree with your every word! I have ranted on this subject many times and have often said when discussing smoking that food is next. Hey, it's the USA! We're supposed to have freedom! The worst thing about all this is the erosion of our freedom. It is insidious. Whatever is PC will be the flavor of the day.

I am getting really sick of it.

If the government is so smart why is everything so screwed up? The government policy-makers are the last people I want making my decisions. And yes, I know WE are the government and yes, I do vote. But I don't see government agencies making anything better and I certainly don't need them to tell me what to eat, sell or smoke. As long as it's legal, that is.

My life, my biz, buzz off.

Eve

 

[2sisters]

I'm telling you - the lifestyle police will get around to portions soon enough - just you wait! Yes - portions are too big - so lots of times I get to take a bunch home. And I love that because I am a leftovers fan!

I know, i feel like I have gotten 2 meals for the price of one b/c I have lunch for the next day!

 

[TheShadow]

I am totally aginst the government banning food ingredients that,, in and of themselves, are not dangerous in normal quantities. How dare they ban transfats and then let cigarettes continue to be sold! Cigarettes kill 300,000 people per year. I don't think that transfats are all that harmful if eaten in normal, small quantities. Anything can be harmful if done to excess, even exercise and "healthy" foods. Next they will ban butter and red meat. What about alcohol? Alcohol poisons your liver if you drink more than you should? I guess they will have to ban that too. And refined white flour, it has no redeeming qualities....Let's face it, what we need is simply to educate people as to what is and isn't good for them and then let them make their own decisions. Everything in moderation.

 

[eve]

I am totally aginst the government banning food ingredients that,, in and of themselves, are not dangerous in normal quantities. How dare they ban transfats and then let cigarettes continue to be sold! Cigarettes kill 300,000 people per year. I don't think that transfats are all that harmful if eaten in normal, small quantities. Anything can be harmful if done to excess, even exercise and "healthy" foods. Next they will ban butter and red meat. What about alcohol? Alcohol poisons your liver if you drink more than you should? I guess they will have to ban that too. And refined white flour, it has no redeeming qualities....Let's face it, what we need is simply to educate people as to what is and isn't good for them and then let them make their own decisions. Everything in moderation.

But remember, even health info is uncertain. For awhile eggs were bad, next, they were good - the experts say use margarine, then they go back to butter, and so on and so on. There are studies to support nearly any supposition, including those saying secondhand smoke is not harmful. There are even people who say all this be dam#ed - it all comes down to genetics anyway!

What's next after food? The books we read? The number of times we exercise per week? The programs we watch? Whether we wear fur? What we feed our dogs? What we grow in our gardens?

Leave us alone! :razz:


Eve

 

[Paladin]

I know, i feel like I have gotten 2 meals for the price of one b/c I have lunch for the next day!

How would you feel though if you got a smaller portion and paid a proportionally smaller price? I for one would love it. The problem is that huge amounts of food are NOT GOOD FOR YOU!!! Not everyone has the willpower to not eat what is in front of them. It is basic biology that when we see food in front of us that we are compelled to eat.

Very little restaurants offer "half-portions" on their menu, but often only charge a dollar or two less, therefore, many people do not see the point. I think businesses that do this should be ordered to make the price proportional to the amount of food you are receiving. It could help cut down on obesity and also waste.

 

[Floh]

How would you feel though if you got a smaller portion and paid a proportionally smaller price? I for one would love it. The problem is that huge amounts of food are NOT GOOD FOR YOU!!! Not everyone has the willpower to not eat what is in front of them. It is basic biology that when we see food in front of us that we are compelled to eat.

Very little restaurants offer "half-portions" on their menu, but often only charge a dollar or two less, therefore, many people do not see the point. I think businesses that do this should be ordered to make the price proportional to the amount of food you are receiving. It could help cut down on obesity and also waste.

What Paladin said.

 

[Love_Mama]

I have a question. I've googled and can't seem to find exactly what I want.

Can anyone tell me or point me to a list of cooking oils or shortening like Crisco that have trans fats. Or a list of margerines.

Personally I try to buy only oil for my deep fryer that contain no trans fats. I spoil myself with butter. The BarnGod prefers margerine though.

ETA; I found one.
http://www.bantransfats.com/fatsinoils.html

Interesting list. I'm so happy that lard is so low on the list because I really do use it when I make tortillas.......I knew that margerine was higher than butter......
Thanks for posting...........


by the way...........I think this new law is absolutely rediculous! Why can't the government stay out of our lives! How dare them tell us what we can and cannot eat. I eat everything..........but only junk food once in a blue moon. I eat SMALL portions. By not allowing transfats in restaurants isn't going to do one thing for the huge overeaters which is what most American's are.

Restaurants who change over will immediately raise their prices. THey'll have to.

Half of my daughter's High School PE students are way overweight and not just for the reason that they eat junk food. They never get any exercise.
Groovy!.......with Bushes "No child left behind" mentality there is no money for for Physical Ed. expansion in the schools. No money for equipment. No money for an assistant in a PE class of 50 kids!

I've ranted enough. Can you imagine that any Countries like Germany....or Italy would come out with a law that banned transfats! At LEAST they should have put it out as a vote!

P.S. BarnGoddess........the best oil for deep frying is actually corn oil.
Very expensive...and probably high on Transfat but I'm sure you don't deep fry all that often.

xxxxxoooooooo
mama
:blowkiss:

 

[SieSie]

Snipped -->

..... for those who don't know what hydro & partially hydro oils are or haven't researched it yet.. in a nutshell they are fats/oils that have been artificially manipulated on a molecular level to force them to be solid at room temperature, much like butter or lard. trans-fatty acids occur as a result of this process- which are sticky & harmful fats that can't be used by the body.
and in the end, they just call the whole mess "tans fats"... which interfere with the body's absorption of essential fatty acids, which are essential for human health. trans fats literally ARE a POISON to the body. this is not an exaggeration! the fact is... that there is NO safe level of trans fats.

more: http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cholesterol/a/Transfat.htm

Okay, I have a few questions, but I need "simple" answers. LOL.
1. Is it better to use real butter instead of margarine (on toast, muffins, etc.)?
2. Crisco Vegetable Oil - I use that when frying stuff - is that the "bad" fats?

I don't know anything about nutrition & health (carbs, fats, cholesterol, etc...). I just eat what I want, when I want. Too many times we've been told that something was better for you and it turned out to be worse for you (example: sweet & low, nutrasweet). For years I thought butter was "bad" and we used margarine, even though I've always preferred the taste of butter. About 10 years ago I changed back to butter, not caring if it was "better or worse" than margarine, but caring that my food tasted better. Now, if I'm reading right, turns out that butter IS better than margarine. :doh:

As for the ban, I'm against the government telling people what they can and can't eat - but it would be nice if more restaurants changed the way they cook their food and if more Americans bought the better food to show the company's that they want healthier foods.

 

[Liz]

Marthatex, I agree with you that trans fats are terrible. But, I hate to see them "outlawed". I would much prefer that the food companies remove them voluntarily, as Frito-Lay Corporation did several months ago. (I wonder did Amarann, or anyone else even noticed a difference in the taste of Fritos, Cheetos or Lays Potato Chips?)

Coconut Oil is actually very beneficial for us! I buy Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and deliberately attempt to incorporate it into my diet. When it becomes a problem is when it is altered from their original chemical state. But that is true for any oil.

I site the quote below from Dr. Mercola's article,
"Truth about Coconut Oil":

So how could an oil that is so good for you have gotten such a bad reputation?

The answer comes down to simple economics and politics. Based on some flawed studies performed over four decades ago, some of which used primarily hydrogenated coconut oils, a powerful anti-saturated fat movement began.

Remember--hydrogenated oils are oils with trans-fatty acids, which have been altered from their original chemical composition and have been shown to raise cholesterol levels and lead to heart disease and other health problems. You should not consume hydrogenated oils, whether it is coconut or another vegetable oil.

Something that I fear is just as problematic as Trans Fats, if not more so, is the fact that the proprietary ingredient of MSG is being snuck into so many foods that we eat today, under the guise of such ingredients as "Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein", "Hydrolyzed Soy Protein" and others (which elude me at the moment) found in so many of the foods we consume today. From what I understand, these ingredients actually causes us to 'crave' more of the food item. Great, huh? Great for the food manufacturers, that is! lol!

I guess only when we, as consumers, quit purchasing those products, or complain loud and long enough, that we are tired of being used as their guinea pigs, then some changes will come about.

 

[Liz]

Snipped -->
Okay, I have a few questions, but I need "simple" answers. LOL.
1. Is it better to use real butter instead of margarine (on toast, muffins, etc.)?
2. Crisco Vegetable Oil - I use that when frying stuff - is that the "bad" fats?

Butter is better. At least from what I've studied and concluded as of today, SieSie.

Crisco Oil does not contain trans fats, which are usually listed as "Partially Hydrogenated Oil". Trans fats are solidified, such as margarine and shortening.

Crisco Oil may not be the best thing for you, but its certainly not the worst, either.

At least this is the best to my knowledge.

 

[TheShadow]

For frying, the oil that does the least "harm" is a polyunsaturated oil, specifically canola oil. It has a neutral flavor and is suitable for deep fat frying. Peanut oil would be a good choice as it is a mono-unsaturated oil and has a very high smoke point ( you can fry at a higher temp). Frying at a hotter temperature will cause the food to sear on the outside and absorb less oils. Olive oil is a great oil to use for salad dressings because it is a mono-unsaturated oil and of course has a good taste, but it is poor for frying (other than sauteing) because of it's low smoke point. Nut oils (other than peanut) are also good for salad dressings, but they are expensive and have characteristic tastes that you may or may not want.

All fats are 9 calories per gram, which is more than twice the calories of carbs and proteins, which are 4 calories per gram. So the real thing to do is to become aware of which foods are high in fat and avoid eating fats as a large portion of your diet. Even "good fats" (unsaturated, non-hydrogented) are bad for you if you eat them to excess, because you will eat more calories in a smaller quantity of food, and thus might overeat, calorie-wise. When possible, and reasonable, avoid saturated (solid) fats like butter and the fat on meat, including hydrogenated fats (transfats) like shortening and margarine made from hydrogenated oils.

 

[TheShadow]

Very little restaurants offer "half-portions" on their menu, but often only charge a dollar or two less, therefore, many people do not see the point. I think businesses that do this should be ordered to make the price proportional to the amount of food you are receiving. It could help cut down on obesity and also waste.

The reason they don't charge proportionately for a smaller plate of food is because a large portion of the meal cost goes not to the ingredients but to pay for the salaries of the cooks and servers and the overhead of the restaurant, which includes rent, utility bills, insurance, workman's comp, taxes, profits for the owner, etc. They have to pay all those costs whether you eat 2 pork chops or one. The actual cost of the extra pork chop is about a buck or so. personally I love restaurants that offer a smaller portion option and I would certainly patronize them whenever possible as I am strivng to lose a few more pounds.

 

[Paladin]

The reason they don't charge proportionately for a smaller plate of food is because a large portion of the meal cost goes not to the ingredients but to pay for the salaries of the cooks and servers and the overhead of the restaurant, which includes rent, utility bills, insurance, workman's comp, taxes, profits for the owner, etc. They have to pay all those costs whether you eat 2 pork chops or one. The actual cost of the extra pork chop is about a buck or so. personally I love restaurants that offer a smaller portion option and I would certainly patronize them whenever possible as I am strivng to lose a few more pounds.

Then why bother offering half portions? It's a rip off. Should I pay a higher unit price because I don't want a hamburger that's bigger than my head?

Rhetorical question...I started splitting meals with my fiance at chain restaurants and it's working out great for the both of us. We save money, we don't gorge ourselves because the smaller amount is just right and satisfying for the both of us, and my fridge isn't overrun by leftovers I won't touch. It's actually refreshing to not feel so sluggish after a meal out. Sometimes the waiters get annoyed because they know they're getting less of a tip, but oh well.

 

[TheShadow]

Well if you want the lowest unit cost, you could, of course, eat at home. or pack half of your full size portion in a box and take it home for later. Eating in a restaurant, you're paying for service, ambiance and the fact that someone else is doing the cooking. The lower priced option offers a smaller appetite person the option of paying at least a little less.

 

[SieSie]

Butter is better. At least from what I've studied and concluded as of today, SieSie.

Crisco Oil does not contain trans fats, which are usually listed as "Partially Hydrogenated Oil". Trans fats are solidified, such as margarine and shortening.

Crisco Oil may not be the best thing for you, but its certainly not the worst, either.

At least this is the best to my knowledge.

Thanks, Liz!! So all those years I gave up butter for margarine, thinking it was "better for me" and it wasn't! :doh:

For frying, the oil that does the least "harm" is a polyunsaturated oil, specifically canola oil. It has a neutral flavor and is suitable for deep fat frying. Peanut oil would be a good choice as it is a mono-unsaturated oil and has a very high smoke point ( you can fry at a higher temp). Frying at a hotter temperature will cause the food to sear on the outside and absorb less oils. Olive oil is a great oil to use for salad dressings because it is a mono-unsaturated oil and of course has a good taste, but it is poor for frying (other than sauteing) because of it's low smoke point. Nut oils (other than peanut) are also good for salad dressings, but they are expensive and have characteristic tastes that you may or may not want.

All fats are 9 calories per gram, which is more than twice the calories of carbs and proteins, which are 4 calories per gram. So the real thing to do is to become aware of which foods are high in fat and avoid eating fats as a large portion of your diet. Even "good fats" (unsaturated, non-hydrogented) are bad for you if you eat them to excess, because you will eat more calories in a smaller quantity of food, and thus might overeat, calorie-wise. When possible, and reasonable, avoid saturated (solid) fats like butter and the fat on meat, including hydrogenated fats (transfats) like shortening and margarine made from hydrogenated oils.

Thanks for the info! I use Olive Oil when making popcorn, but it's so much more expensive that I usually just use the Crisco Oil when making dinners. Will have to look into the Canola oil - I've heard of that - I thought it was just a brand name, like Crisco??

 

[TheShadow]

Canola oil comes from the rape plant's seeds, a relative of the mustard and horseradish family. It was crossbred (not genetic engineered, just standard plant hybridization) by Canadian plant biologists to replace one time of fatty acid it contained with a healthier type. So the canadian biologists renamed it canola, short for "Canadian oil" because of the negative associations with the word "rape". It contains polyunsaturated and monounsaturated components, both of which are considered "good fats" because they have a tendency to lower human blood cholesterol and tryglycerides. It also contains a high level of omega-3 oils, which are considered very good for you. It has a higher smoke point than olive oil and so can be used for frying and has a light, neutral taste. It is better for you than corn oils like Crisco. There are many brands, including generic store brands and it is very comparably priced to corn oil.

Edited to add: Someone started an internet rumor that canola oil was toxic, that is debunked as an urban legend by the Snopes website. Don't be worried about that because that legend is talking about the rapeseed before it was crossbred and made better. Rapeseed oil and canola oil are not the same thing.

 

[SieSie]

Canola oil comes from the rape plant's seeds, a relative of the mustard and horseradish family. It was crossbred (not genetic engineered, just standard plant hybridization) by Canadian plant biologists to replace one time of fatty acid it contained with a healthier type. So the canadian biologists renamed it canola, short for "Canadian oil" because of the negative associations with the word "rape". It contains polyunsaturated and monounsaturated components, both of which are considered "good fats" because they have a tendency to lower human blood cholesterol and tryglycerides. It also contains a high level of omega-3 oils, which are considered very good for you. It has a higher smoke point than olive oil and so can be used for frying and has a light, neutral taste. It is better for you than corn oils like Crisco. There are many brands, including generic store brands and it is very comparably priced to corn oil.

Edited to add: Someone started an internet rumor that canola oil was toxic, that is debunked as an urban legend by the Snopes website. Don't be worried about that because that legend is talking about the rapeseed before it was crossbred and made better. Rapeseed oil and canola oil are not the same thing.

Thanks for the explanation.