Trans fat and why its BAD BAD BAD!
I thought this was a good read....
NUTRITION / SUZANNE HAVALA HOBBS
Trans fat is why we enjoy many of our favorite foods
SUZANNE HAVALA HOBBS
Trans fat is the current dietary no-no. But it played a large role in the creation of the modern, mass-market food production system -- a role that demonstrates just how difficult it is to remove trans fat from our diets.
We know now that trans fat is linked with coronary artery disease. According to the Institute of Medicine, no level is safe.
But trans fat, found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, is in 40 percent of the products on supermarket shelves.
Here's how that happened: In the early 1900s, Proctor & Gamble saw trouble ahead when the widening use of electricity cut into demand for its candles. Then meatpackers cornered the market on lard, another major P&G product. In 1907, a German chemist contacted the company with a new technology -- hydrogenation -- that converted liquid cottonseed oil into a solid fat with cooking properties similar to that of butter and lard.
By 1911, Crisco was born, a creamy white shortening that gave cakes and pastries the same qualities as foods made with lard but stayed fresh longer. Crisco was also cheaper than butter and could be produced consistently.
Ladies' Home Journal ran the first advertisement for Crisco in 1912, declaring it "A scientific discovery which will affect every kitchen in America."
And it did.
P&G set up traveling "cooking schools" to teach American housewives how to cook with Crisco. Free recipes and inexpensive cookbooks were distributed.
Within just a few years, Crisco became the best-selling all-purpose household vegetable shortening in the U.S., and revolutionized home baking.
It revolutionized industrial food production, too.
Partially hydrogenated oils made possible large-scale production. For the first time, cakes, pies, cookies and doughnuts could be made in factories and shipped to grocery stores. That's how "store-bought" became the new standard for cake quality.
Cost was another major factor driving industry to adopt the use of partially hydrogenated oils. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils could take the place of more expensive butter and lard in most foods.
Hydrogenated oils are useful in other ways, too. They make crackers and cookies crisp, keep cakes moist and make foods taste good. They don't break down as quickly as liquid oils, so fast-food companies and other restaurants can use them longer in deep-fat fryers.
Today, hydrogenated oils are so widespread in foods that removing them -- or lessening dependence on their use -- presents a major challenge. Not only do substitutes cost more, but they often taste different. Part of industry's challenge in getting rid of trans fat is creating new recipes that closely match the familiar flavors and textures of popular foods.
In some cases, the food industry has succeeded. A new version of Crisco shortening, now owned by J.M. Smucker Co., has been created with a blend of sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils and no trans fat. The new incarnation of the old staple -- which is still available -- is called "Crisco 0 Grams Trans Fat Shortening."
But many of our favorite foods still contain trans fat. It's up to you to read the food labels, find the trans fat, and cut it out of your diet.
|
