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Over the past several years, trans fats have been the subject of much research and debate. Trans fats are present in foods that contain an ingredient that is "hydrogenated." In the 1950s food scientists created the hydrogenation process in an effort to replace expensive butter with a solid stick form of liquid vegetable oil. In the development of this process, they also found that hydrogenation improved the shelf life on products. The processed food industry embraced this discovery, because they could improve their profits by shipping larger volumes of foods to grocery stores and let them sit on the shelves longer.
Hydrogenation is great for food companies but the story is different for the consumer. According the US Food and Drug and Administration, "hydrogenated" or "partially Hydrogenated" ingredients contain trans fats. After many years of research, trans fats have been linked to raising LDL cholesterol levels (the bad kind) and lowering HDL cholesterol levels (the good kind). Trans fats are also linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Up until January 2006, avoiding trans fats has required "reading the fine print list of ingredients" on labels. Fortunately, for consumers, the FDA is making it easier for us to identify culprit foods. As of January 2006 all foods containing trans fats must be properly labeled to notify consumers.
This labeling makes it much easier for the consumers, but there is one thing you need to know. An item that advertises "Contains 0 trans fats" may be misleading. The FDA allows food companies to use this claim if there a small amount trans fats. If you wish to avoid trans fats entirely, stay away from all foods that contain "shortening" or "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils as an ingredient.
About the Author: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children, and founders of Fresh Baby.
Raised by parents who love fresh foods and entertaining, their mom, a gourmet cook, ensured that they were well-equipped
with extraordinary skills in the kitchen. Both with long track records of business success, they decided to combine their
skills in the kitchen with their knowledge of healthy foods and children to create Fresh Baby. Cheryl and Joan put a modern
twist on the conventional wisdom that when you make it yourself, you know it's better. Their goal at Fresh Baby is to make
the task of raising a healthy eater a little bit easier for all parents. Visit them online at www.FreshBaby.com and subscribe
to their Fresh Ideas newsletter to get monthly ideas, tips and activities for developing your family's healthy eating habits!
While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important
reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability
to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...
by Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers
Let's Get Cooking!
