GI Chef
Assistant Cook
I'm glad to see that "Trans Fats" are being taken seriously in the public now. This stuff is the worst artery clogger out there. What's some other opinions about trans fats?
Trans Fats
- Thread starter GI Chef
- Start date
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Brittany
Assistant Cook
I personally try and avoid trans fats at all costs. Some of my family members now have heart problems from eating too many fatty foods when they were younger, and before this issue was taken seriously. I always try and read nutrition labels on products, and determine if it's healthy for me or not in that category.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
It's hard to disagree with what you said. No question trans fats should be kept to a minimum in your diet as part of healthful eating.
I believe the jury is still out on if "Trans" fats are actually any worse for you than the "Saturated" fats they mimic.
The big problem is that trans fats are still "technically" unsaturated fats ... so the nutritional labeling didn't have to list them as "saturated" fats (which is how the body metabolizes them) - until recently when Trans Fats had to be listed on the labels.
Limit your trans + saturated fats ... that is a good thing. But, I do not believe that Trans Fat in and of itself is any greater killer than pure saturated fats.
The big problem is that trans fats are still "technically" unsaturated fats ... so the nutritional labeling didn't have to list them as "saturated" fats (which is how the body metabolizes them) - until recently when Trans Fats had to be listed on the labels.
Limit your trans + saturated fats ... that is a good thing. But, I do not believe that Trans Fat in and of itself is any greater killer than pure saturated fats.
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Limit your trans + saturated fats ... that is a good thing. But, I do not believe that Trans Fat in and of itself is any greater killer than pure saturated fats.
But that is sort of the point isn't it--we have discovered that saturated fats ARE bad for our health. And now we have discovered that a basically man made fat that exists only in order to prolong shelf life (and thusly a marketing tool) is the same thing and therefore should be eliminated or severely limited.
But that is sort of the point isn't it--we have discovered that saturated fats ARE bad for our health. And now we have discovered that a basically man made fat that exists only in order to prolong shelf life (and thusly a marketing tool) is the same thing and therefore should be eliminated or severely limited.
college_cook
Head Chef
I'm fairly certain that trans fat is considered an LDL- Low-Density Lipoprotein, more commonly known as "bad cholesterol". As their name implies, LDLs weigh very little, and as such, are more easily carried by the blood, and therefore have greater chance to stick to your artery walls. So while it may be metabolized as a saturated fat, metabolism really only deals with the conversion of nutrients into an enrgy source usable by your body. Trans fatrs may be healthier in regards to metabolism. However, they will most certainly clog your arteries faster than saturated fats.
ntbsnthlrchn
Washing Up
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2006
- Messages
- 34
"dr." mercola's a quack, just so you know!
To avoid transfats, I cook/bake almost all our food from scratch. I very rarely buy processed food, even pastries. I bake pies very rarely because I try not to use Crisco if I can help it. So it is with a lot of relief that I came across reading about Crisco's zero-gram transfat product.
Has anyone used this? How was your experience? The only Crisco available here is the original formula with the transfats. I use it very rarely. Can't wait to find Crisco zero-transfat in the stores here...
Has anyone used this? How was your experience? The only Crisco available here is the original formula with the transfats. I use it very rarely. Can't wait to find Crisco zero-transfat in the stores here...
boufa06
Executive Chef
Cindy said:
You are definitely on the right track. If it's a good brand of olive oil, it's beneficial to your overall health. In any event, you are no worse off than using any alternative oil or fat.
college_cook said:
Actually - no. Trans Fats are considered saturated fats. Saturated fats stimulate the body to produce cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats help lower the levels of LDL and VLDL (bad cholesterol) and don't mess with the "good guy" HDL; Polyunsaturated fats lower both the bad LDL and the good HDL. This is why olive oil is a good fat ....it is low in saturated fat (cholesterol producer), high in Monounsaturated fat (reduces the bad cholesterol and leaves the good cholesterol lowering stuff alone) and low in Polyunsaturated fats (that reduce both the HDL along with the LDL).
Humm ... simple explanation ... the LDL/VLDL is like cholesterol "litter bugs" leaving it around in the blood vessels and arteries - and the HDL is is like the highway "cleanup" crew that comes along and picks it up and hauls it off to the dump.
Trans Fats are like kids in Halloween costumes behaving badly. While they are "chemically" still unsaturated fats ... their costume conversion from CIS to TRANS configuration causes them look and act like saturated fats - stimulating cholesterol production- but they are still the same kids. Apparently, hydrogenation transforms mono fats (good guys) easier than poly fats (bad guys because they also lower the good HDL). Straightening a kid out is good - but straightening a chain of fatty acids out is bad.
So, no matter how you want to spin it ... trans fat is basically just unsaturated fat that, in the body, acts like saturated fat. Although, I do admit that you would need to know the percentage of TRANS conversion of mono and poly unsaturated fats to begin to make some calculations on the affects to LDL and HDL levels .... I couldn't find a good "scientifically sound" source.
GI Chef alluded to something earlier ... ingested cholesterol is processed differently than the fatty acids. And, although not generally mentioned, even fats from plant sources (corn oil, olive oil, cannola oil, etc.) contian some cholesterol .... just generally less than 1% of that from animal sources - so it gets written off as 0% according to the "rounding" and "volume % limits" of labeling laws.
Chopstix - The new "Trans Fat Free" Crisco still has trans fat. To be honest I don't know what method they used to come into labeling compliance to make that claim. I did find something on their website a couple of months ago that talked about it ... where they admitted it really wasn't 100% trans fat free ... but they didn't go into details other than talk about labeling laws.
Cindy - Olive oil is very healty. It is very low in saturated and polyunsaturated fats - and very high in monounsaturated fats.
Gretchen - Yes, we have learned some things. We learned that if you ate more than two eggs a week you would die ... and then we learned that wasn't true after all. The truth is ... food is finally being given some serious interest. Sometimes the results are "bad science" and "hysterical" reaction ... which makes it even tougher for good science to be accepted.
Trans Fats are as evil as Saturated Fats. The labeling laws in the US are probably even more evil.
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attie
Sous Chef
Well Michael, I won't be doing the "Quote" box on that post, way to much information for me to understand.
Give me your opinion of this deep frying oil if you will.
Nutrition Information :-
Serving per 100ml
Energy - 3439KJ/819kcal
Protein - 0g
Fat - 91g
Saturated - 45%
Monounsaturated - 44%
Polyunsaturated - 11%
Trans Fatty Acid - 0%
Cabohydrate - 0g
Sugar - 0g
Sodium - 0g
Others - 0g
Composition :- Vegetable oil, antifoam [900]
No artificial antioxidant
Give me your opinion of this deep frying oil if you will.
Nutrition Information :-
Serving per 100ml
Energy - 3439KJ/819kcal
Protein - 0g
Fat - 91g
Saturated - 45%
Monounsaturated - 44%
Polyunsaturated - 11%
Trans Fatty Acid - 0%
Cabohydrate - 0g
Sugar - 0g
Sodium - 0g
Others - 0g
Composition :- Vegetable oil, antifoam [900]
No artificial antioxidant
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
amber said:
Energy is what we see as calories on US labels.
So, no matter how you want to spin it ... trans fat is basically just unsaturated fat that, in the body, acts like saturated fat. Although, I do admit that you would need to know the percentage of TRANS conversion of mono and poly unsaturated fats to begin to make some calculations on the affects to LDL and HDL levels .... I couldn't find a good "scientifically sound" source.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health:
Trans fats are even worse for cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL. They also fire inflammation,(6) an overactivity of the immune system that has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. While you should limit your intake of saturated fats, it is important to eliminate trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils from your diet. (Manufacturers must now list trans fats on the food label, right beneath saturated fats.)
According to the Harvard School of Public Health:
Trans fats are even worse for cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL. They also fire inflammation,(6) an overactivity of the immune system that has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. While you should limit your intake of saturated fats, it is important to eliminate trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils from your diet. (Manufacturers must now list trans fats on the food label, right beneath saturated fats.)
bethzaring
Master Chef
Not really being interested in Crisco products, I was not aware of this transfat free Crisco mentioned here. What I was able to find on this product is that this is a blend of fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil, sunflower oil and soybean oil. I stay away from any hydrogenated oil products, let alone a fully hydrogenated product. My information comes from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association June 2006 issue I found online.
This explains the new Crisco fairly well, even comparing pie crusts made with the old and new product. I agree with its conclusion that the best crust is a combination of Crisco and butter and have always made crusts using both. Since I use Crisco for only pie crusts and eat pie crusts so rarely, I'm not really worried about any of the fat involved.bethzaring said:
urmaniac13
Executive Chef
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2005
- Messages
- 4,764
Well I wouldn't say saturated fats are BETTER for you than trans-fats, but if you are in a situation where some amount of solid fat is required, and both type are equally guilty, why not go for the real flavour (butter, lard etc) instead of imitations (margarine, veg. shortening etc.).... at the end of the day, it is all about the matter of taking them in moderations....
