Comments on: As Long As They Don’t Cut Caffeine

By: piboulder

piboulder — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:30:00 +0000

In response to others on here, I think there are legitimate health concerns with both saturated and trans fats. They should be treated differently, however. Saturated fats are alright in moderation. They can contribute to heart disease if you take in too much. I’ve heard from two sources, both with medical knowledge and experience, that trans fats are bad because they are “foreign” to your body. Your body doesn’t know what to do with them. I didn’t know it was artery clogging, but it did sound bad just generally. It did sound like something that should either be banned or only allowed in small amounts. I avoid them, personally. Trans fats are stuff like hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. You see it most often in cookies and candy bars. Traditional margarine is a classic example–pure hydrogenated oil. Cookie and candy manufacturers used to use natural fats in their recipes. The problem was they had a limited shelf life. They’d go rancid after a while. Maybe this was improved with preservatives–another bogey man from the past… Hydrogenated oils have a much longer shelf life, without preservatives. This helped lower costs of production, so naturally they became more popular. And with all the concerns way back when about saturated fats, it was an easy sell.

It’s possible to get bread spreads that don’t have hydrogenated oils, though they’re more likely to have saturated fat of some kind, like palm oil. Hey, they gotta substitute something, right? There are the healthy spreads that have neither saturated nor trans fats, but they’re an acquired taste.

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:38:00 +0000

You know things are getting out of hand when the Los Angeles's landmark and 76-year-old restaurant (in a town where something from the 50's is considered ancient,) El Coyote, is now promoting "No Trans Fats!" in neon highlights on their menu.

Of course...that says nothing about saturated fats, and their chips taste like they are still fried the good old-fashioned way: in lard.

By: nellE

nellE — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:30:00 +0000

Well I’m not worried. I remember the days before cookies, crackers, cakes and chips had trans fats, which could only be found in margarine and Crisco. Our processed foods were all dripping with delicious, nutritious coconut oil, and then it got a bad rep for being saturated fat, and was taken out of everything and replaced by trans fats. But now the tables have turned, and trans fats are the evil heart-stopping bad guys, and coconut oil is sold in health food stores at fancy prices. All the manufacturers have to do is switch back, and when we are all once again wallowing in coconut oil, the world will be a better place. Kind of like it was when chocolate went from being a zit-making bad fat to being a powerful antioxidant with complexion enhancing properties.

By: PeteRFNY

PeteRFNY — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:29:00 +0000

I wonder how in the world I made it to 39 eating trans-fats, sucking down sodas when I was a teenager and inhaling my Mom’s old aerosol hair spray. Thank goodness the health police are now firmly in charge – I just might make it to 40 now.

By: artgal

artgal — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:37:00 +0000

Hey, you’re in luck! Thus far, Tucson Starbucks shops are still trans-fat-crack laden and full-flavored. We will gladly keep you stocked with an assortment of Starbucks goods now on the black market for your area. But don’t tell another soul. There is not enough for everybody. Of course, there very well may be a small fee involved… ;)