I just recently learned about trans fats or other wise known as hydrogenated (or partially) oils. This means exactly what you would imagine. They bubble through the oil the gas hydrogen. Apparently this increases the shelf life of food products. And believe me, it is found in almost all the foods that you would readily recognize (cookies, peanut butter, bread, etc.) But it has a devastating effect on the human body because it increases the 'bad' cholestoral while decreasing the 'good' cholestoral at the same time! It is partly to blame for the rampant heart problems in NA as well as the alarming childhood obesity numbers. Visit this site and educate yourself: http://bantransfats.com/ Wish you all a healthy, wealthy and happy life
Lawsuit dropped as Oreo looks to drop the fat Wednesday, May 14, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A lawsuit seeking to ban Kraft Foods from selling Oreos to children because the chocolate-cream cookies are allegedly unhealthy will be dropped, the San Francisco lawyer who filed the suit said Wednesday. Stephen Joseph's suit alleged that Oreos are unhealthy because they contain trans fat, which the National Academy of Sciences has linked to heart disease. Joseph said he will drop his lawsuit because he has learned that Kraft is working on ways to reduce trans fat in Oreos. http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/14/oreo.suit/
Yes, I knew about trans-fatty acids. Nasty things. Why not go a step further, beyond just the fats, and focus on a holistic approach to creating health for yourself and advocating the same for others? Ah, health. Can there be anything more valuable?
The reason for hydrogenating fats (increased shelf life) is the same reason they are bad for you (increased shelf life inside your arteries). Also, one thing most people aren't aware of is that fast food items which are deep-fried contain large proportions of trans fats even if they are prepared using non-hydrogenated oils (such as fries from McDonalds). The reason is, even though they are unsaturated when they go into the fryer, being heated up over an extended period converts the fat to the saturated form. This is bad, and is unavoidable unless the oil is constantly changed. It's all about thermodynamic stability, baby!!! Good thread, Babak...nice to see you around again. -dung
eat whole foods in their natural state this isn't an issue.. of course this processed garbage is bad for you.. what did you expect?? WTF don't you people understand??! you gotta be brain-damaged to eat a POS oreo in first place. DUH ever hear of an apple for christ sake! :-/