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California State University, Dominguez Hills
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Created: November 14, 2004
Latest Update: November 14, 2004
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu
Trans Fats and Their Effect on Our BodiesThis piece came about as I listened to Robert Ferguson on the Aware Show with Lisa Garr on KPFK. In the quiet hour imposed upon the drive into school, Robert explained how trans fats are created, how alien they are to our bodies, and how dangerous they are for us. Sure, I'd heard of them; sure I knew I should avoid them, but this was the first time I'd heard in detail what they were and why I needed to avoid them. This is the imortance of forums, of listening, of reading. New information is released constantly and it takes a certain vigilance to stay on top of it all.Our projects with obesity this semester are leading us into the complexity of social issues that surround the government's media pattern of blaming us for poor food habits and exhorting us to do better. That stance, of course, ignores the fact that the government in myriad ways has promoted our food habits, and so might better acknowledge it's own role in this mess instead of telling us it's all our fault.
Let's start with some information about trans fats. Ban Trans Fats tells of Tiburon, California is America's First Trans Fat-Free City!!!. It tells you in plain English what some of the dangers are:
"Dr. Walter Willett is the Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. He is generally recognized as one of the world's top authorities on nutrition. He calls partial hydrogenation of oils the "biggest food-processing disaster in U.S. history." He says:" 'In Europe [food companies] hired chemists and took trans fats out.... In the United States, they hired lawyers and public relations people. No one doubted trans fats have adverse affects on health, and still companies were not taking it out.' "If the hydrogenation process were discovered today, it could not be adopted by the oil food industry. The use of partially hydrogenated oils should be banned! "
Some things you might want to include in a project:
- Crackers: How They Stack Up Excellent analysis of nutrition value of brand name crackers. I picked the link up from The Nutrition Action Health Newsletter. they have a really helpful Tip of the Month that might make it easier to shop by advanced knowledge on what's OK and what's not.
- Trans Free America Essay on what trans fats are, and what the US is doing to eliminate them from our diet. This iste also gives you a list of foods to avoid because of their trans fats Foods with Trans Fat. I think the biggest shock for me there was Pepperidge Farm's Original Goldfish Crackers, which I see advertised all the time as good snacks for children.
Also helpful was their Honor Roll whic lists some substitutes without trans fats. I just learned I have to give up my beloved tootsie rolls because they have trans fats.
What is trans fat? FDA Site
