L.A. is now following in the footsteps of New York City in the effort to ban trans fat from restaurants. In 2005, New York first asked restaurants to eliminate trans fat from their foods – specifically, no more than half a gram per serving could be used.
Now Los Angeles County supervisors are considering whether it would be possible to restrict trans fats from restaurants there. Public officials will study to see if a county-wide ban could feasibly be enforced.
Trans fat, also known as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, is a common ingredient in chips, cookies, doughnuts, crackers and most other processed foods, as well as fries and other fried food in restaurants. Three decades ago, it was thought to be a healthier alternative to butter, which contains saturated fat. Now we know that trans fat consumption is responsible for numerous health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and obesity, as well as reproductive problems. A study done on monkeys showed that calories from trans fat are stored preferentially as fat around the midsection, which can lead to insulin resistance or diabetes. Since the beginning of this year, all packaged food products are required to list the amount of trans fat if it is more than 0.5 grams per serving.
The typical American consumes 5.8 grams of trans fat a day, when it is now known that there is no safe level. To help reduce risks, try cooking with healthy fats such as olive oil (extra virgin is best) or canola oil. Also, always be sure to check the ingredient list on packaged and fried foods that you buy. If you see the words “partially hydrogenated,” then it contains trans fat. Informed consumers can minimize their risk of negative health effects and more effectively fight the war against obesity.
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Wasn’t it the beginning of 2006, not 2007, when transfat content was required to be on the nutrition label? In any event, requiring it for more than .5 gram is crazy because people often consume more than 1 serving. Apparently if there is less than .5 grams of trans fat, they can round down to 0 on the nutrition label.
You must check the ingredients on the label to make sure the words “Partially Hydrogenated” followed by any type of oil is not listed.
The website, cuttransfat.org is “Committed to the voluntary elimination of all artificial trans fats by restaurants and the entire food industry”. There are links to many articles offering differing views on the subject. It is a quality site with lots of good information.
The site is also compiling a list of restaurants and food chains that are actively eliminating or reducing trans fats in their menus.
Visit http://cuttransfat.org for more information.
William