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Trans fats are created when oils are hydrogenated to create a
smooth and spreadable substance like margarine are, and then with the
help of yellow food coloring they turn that oil and hydrogen gas into
a spread that can be used on toast and baked potatoes and many other
great tasting foods.
Hydrogen is a gas as most of us know, and the pumping of hydrogen
gas into anything we are going to consume isn't a very appealing
thought and it isn't healthy.
The reason they pump hydrogen gas into the oils is so the oils
themselves will take on a texture that can be spread and this also
allows the oils to stay fresh and not go bad like some oils can. The
main problem with this is that trans fats are bad for us because they
get into our blood systems and clog our arteries. Trans fats also
lower your good HDL cholesterol and raise your bad LDL
cholesterol. When this continues over a long period of time, you can
develop heart disease.
Trans fats or TFA's (trans fatty acid) is also thought to weaken
the immune system and may even help cause cancer and accelerate our
aging process. One certainly has to wonder what the person was
thinking that decided to pump hydrogen gas into any oils that where
going to be consumed by human beings. Since the public has been
informed of this hydrogenated process, a lot of companies have quit
using the process in many of the foods we purchase today.
The problem is that there are still lots of hydrogenated foods that
are consumed today and are inside of baked goods, prepared foods, and
in the preparation of restaurants foods too. Luckily nowadays, you can
check the labels on the food packaging as many of the trans fats are
listed on the labels. Beware of some food items however that have
lowered the amount of trans fats in their products that allows them to
label their products packaging with no trans fats when in all
actuality, they still do have a small amount of hydrogenated oils in
their food products.
To protect yourself and your family from eating trans fats, you'll
want to always eat foods that are fresh and haven't been processed to
sit on a shelf for twenty years and still be eatable. It's hard to
believe that because someone figured out that by pumping hydrogen gas
into food it would make it last longer and make the oils creamier,
that they actually did this to make money not caring about the
public's health and safety.
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