The truth about trans fat

By: Christina Borger
Posted In: Opinion

All of us have dealt with the stress and anxiety that accompanies writing a 20-page paper the night before it is due. Despite all the stress and pressure to complete our work, especially as the semester winds down, we feel just as much stress to cease the grumbling in our stomachs at all times

of the day and night.

Late night snacks are satisfied by our stashes of Funyuns and Cheetos within reach or quick runs to the local McDonald’s. Far from our minds are our health, fat content,

calorie counting, and trans fats, which often lurk beneath the instant appeal of instant meals and snacks. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone else did the worrying about our really fast, fast food choices?

As I drive away from the McDonald’s drive thru window, I immediately inhale the aroma of French fries as I prepare to take a deep and sultry bite out of my double stacked, triple bacon and melted cheese burger with soggy bun and oil leaking through the wrapper. The presentation of this

meal-on-the-go is not picture-worthy, but it soon satisfies my hunger.

Also not picture-worthy or heart-healthy is how fast food is prepared. Trans fats are the latest topic of conversation in health news. These fats might make our taste buds tingle with every bite, but they make our heart cringe as they destroy our levels of good cholesterol and raise the level of bad cholesterol. Higher levels of bad cholesterol continue to be the leading contributors to America’s top silent killer, heart disease.

Trans fats are humans’ worst enemy because of the process transforming oils, like sunflower oils, into bad oils to make them more solid, which allow baked products to stay fresher longer, keep frying oils from spoiling and supply a texture for the mouth. Partially hydrogenated oil is loaded with deadly trans fat, which is a big problem.

Fast food chains aren’t the only ones to use trans fats in their products. According to the campaign, big-name food industries such as Kraft Foods North America Inc., as well as more well-known restaurants use trans fats in the preparation of their food products and menu items.

Common snack foods that contain trans fats are crackers and cookies, which are familiar finger foods moms feed their children for school snacks. After taking a look at my own snack shelf, I too, have been victimized by deceptive labels and sneaky trans fats.

My favorite late-night snack, Keebler’s 100 Calorie pack of Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies, contains hydrogenated oil. Who would have thought that a small 100 calorie treat would have been packed with unwanted trans fats?

I am sure that food manufacturers do not plan out ingredient-by-ingredient what goes into their products purposely to make our society more prone to heart problems, obesity and diabetes. However, I do believe that the food processing and manufacturing industry are responsible for making specific products appealing to specific consumers by including trans fats.

But if major food companies are responsible for getting consumers to buy their products, they are also responsible for the wellbeing of their target consumers. Simply stating the nutritional information on the side of the package or disclosing nutritional information to restaurant owners for customers who request it can help raise awareness, but you need to be aware of some of the tricks you may find on labels.

According to the campaign, products now carry “zero trans fat” labeling on the front of the package. However, the new labeling is not always truthful. Consumers who are trans fat weary should consult the ingredient list located below the nutritional facts. As the campaign points out, if you find words like “shortening,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” then the product contains trans fat.”

The reason for this apparent discrepancy in labeling is that the FDA mandated rules that outlined that if the content of trans fat was less than 0.5 grams, then the label can rightfully express the total content of trans fats per package as zero.

Nutritionists at Harvard University’s School of Public Health estimate that by replacing partially hydrogenated oils with natural unhydrogenated oils, about 30,000 coronary deaths per year could be prevented. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), statistics show that just over half a million people died of heart disease in 2002, half of whom were women.

Although the CDC website did not disclose the general causes of those deaths, perhaps if trans fats were banned from all foods nationwide, the number of deaths due to exacerbated cholesterol levels would have been significantly lower.

Presently, New York City, Philadelphia and Boston have tried to ban trans fats in all restaurants as well as posting calorie content for food items for the public. I believe that with these three major cities taking such a bold stand against trans fats, the expectation is higher for more cities nationwide to adapt the same legislation. Doing so would benefit everyone’s health and wellbeing.

Making recent news is the well-known food chain McDonald’s which is currently making significant efforts to eliminate the use of trans fat oils in their fryers. I believe doing so will revolutionize the reputation of McDonald’s and challenge other fast food chains to step up to the plate.

As long as McDonald’s follows through with their already great efforts towards creating a healthier meal preparation process, the next time I take a deep and sultry bite of a wilted double stacked bacon cheese burger, I can eat it up with confidence. Even though fast food in and of itself may not be healthy, my heart will cringe less and thank me more for not sending trans fat solids its way.