Continued from the Daily Dose for Feb 17th

Yummy!

She asked for help! Who stepped up to the plate?  Entrepreneurs who developed the food industry:  it’s simple supply and demand!

So what was the natural evolution of food?  You got it!  The longer it stays on the shelf, the easier and the more convenient.  The low-fat fallacy just fell right into place for the food industry.  Now they had a social movement away from the fresh foods and the locally grown foods to the “it’s got to be ready when I am ready for it” types of foods and now the U.S. Government is advocating a low-fat diet!  Great!  What happened now?

Now we had to alter the food source and find a way for it to be ready when it was needed. Therefore, the hydrogenation process was developed.  This is a process of heating a liquid vegetable oil in the presence of hydrogen gas.  When the oil is partially hydrogenated the oil is much more stable and less likely to spoil.  Therefore, you can have the cans of Crisco that are as old as I am. In fact, I think I have a can of Crisco that my mom bought about the time I was born!  (Well, it’s probably not that old!)

The process of hydrogenation will also convert the oil into a solid that is much easier to package, promote, and transport.  Imagine how fortuitous this was for the food industry that was only looking out for us!  It also does not break down at super high temperatures. Voila!  You know have a great fat for deep-frying and frying fast foods.

Do you remember all of the commercials and promotions of margarine as a heart healthy substitute for butter? The Nurses’ Health Study found that women who ate 4 teaspoons of stick margarine a day had a 50% increased risk of heart disease over women who ate margarine only rarely.

So, what should you eat?  You should try to avoid the butter too. However, if you need a fat such as margarine or butter, you should choose butter over margarine.  The winner by fat is olive oil! You should dip your bread (we’ll talk about this in later DD) in olive oil versus smearing it with butter or margarine!

Your best bet is to sauté your foods in olive or canola oil, using a tad of butter for flavoring if only absolutely necessary!

There are much better margarines out there now. Your best bet, if you choose to use them, is to get a soft margarine that is Trans fat free and also low in saturated fats.  Also, try and get one that is loaded with plant sterols that will help to reduce cholesterol in the blood.

Do you know where most of the trans fats come from in our convenience foods diet?

û  Snack foods

û  Processed foods

û  French fries

û  Commercially prepared baked goods

Below is a simple pie chart that illustrates the pervasiveness of trans fats in our food.

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