Hi there,
In my campaign to bring awareness of what is in our food, I am homing in on many unknown quantities on labelling. When I became a fitness trainer we were told that it is far more healthy to eat butter, just in moderation. Now I know why.
The quote below totally put me off ever eating margarine again. If anyone knows more about hydrogenated vegetable oil, send it in. Otherwise, read the labels and avoid. [:'(]
From the book: Natural alternatives to Dieting by Marilyn Glenville:
Why shouldn’t I eat the famous-brand vegetable-based margarines?
'Although margarine is manufactured from polyunsaturated fats it is made into a solid form through hydrogenation. The process of hydrogenation, explained here, makes terrifying reading:
1. Vegetable oil is mixed with fine particles of nickel or copper.
2. The mixture is heated to approx 200 degrees centigrade for 6 hours.
3. Meanwhile, hydrogen gas is pumped through the mixture at high pressure and
the excited hydrogen atoms penetrate the vegetable oil molecules and chemically change them into ‘trans fats’ (trans fatty acids). These are new, complex substances that are not found in nature, except at low levels in some animal fats. The mixture must be kept very hot – if it cools down at this stage the whole production line will get clogged.
4. Next it is cooled to form tiny hard plastic-like beads, known as hydrogenated oil.
5. These beads are mixed with liquid oil and heated up again to a high temperature. When this cools you have margarine.
Because these trans fats are not natural in such high levels and have a plastic-like quality, your body has great difficulty in trying to eliminate or utilise them. They will be stored then as excess fat if it can’t get rid of them. The body is then put under extra pressure to deal with a substance that you do not really need to eat.'
That's nice isn't it, not [:@]
RE: Margarine & hydrogenated oil
Found this onfo on trans fats. if you want to look at the site it's
When i read this i was very shocked! trans fats, yuck!
Between 82 and 274 deaths
every single day from trans fats
"By our most conservative estimate, replacement of partially hydrogenated fat in the U.S. diet with natural unhydrogenated vegetable oils would prevent approximately 30,000 premature coronary deaths per year, and epidemiologic evidence suggests this number is closer to 100,000 premature deaths annually."
This the stunning conclusion of the top nutritionists at Harvard University. See Harvard School of Public Health report. See also "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating" at p.73.
Nothing in our food supply is more dangerous than trans fatty acids ("trans fats") that are produced by the partial hydrogenation of oils. Yet partially hydrogenated oils are used in children's products such as Oreo cookies and thousands of other products, including diet and "health" foods, and in most restaurants.
If the 100,000 figure is correct, then an average of 274 people are dying each day from consuming trans fats. On top of that, there are a far greater number of non-fatal but terrifying and damaging heart attacks caused by trans fats, not to mention the increase in the number of type 2 diabetes cases especially among children.
Dr. Walter Willett is the Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. He is generally recognized as one of the world's top authorities on nutrition. He calls partial hydrogenation of oils the "biggest food-processing disaster in U.S. history." He says:
"In Europe [food companies] hired chemists and took trans fats out.... In the United States, they hired lawyers and public relations people. No one doubted trans fats have adverse affects on health, and still companies were not taking it out."
If the hydrogenation process were discovered today, it could not be adopted by the oil food industry. The use of partially hydrogenated oils should be banned!
Denmark has effectively banned partially hydrogenated oils. Denmark's food minister said: "We put the public health above the industry's interests." Why can't the United States and other countries do the same?*
Until partially hydrogenated oils are banned by law, you can ban them from your own diet.** Here's how:
Stay away from partially hydrogenated oils. About 40% of products in supermarkets contain them. Some health conscious markets such as Whole Foods will not sell any products containing partially hydrogenated oils.
If the words "partially hydrogenated" or "shortening" are in the list of ingredients, don't buy that product, and if you've already bought it then throw it away.*** You can always find an equivalent product which is just as tasty, without the partially hydrogenated oil.
When you go to a restaurant, ask the manager if they use partially hydrogenated oils. The response will usually be that they say use "vegetable oil." You must ask whether it is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Click here to see a TV video clip about trans fats, which includes an interview with Dr. Willett.
* Oils and fats are forbidden on the Danish market if they contain more than 2 per cent trans fat.
** This is not medical advice. If you have a medical condition that requires you to eat a particular product, you should consult your doctor before making any changes.
*** Fully hydrogenated oils do not contain trans fat. However, if the word "hydrogenated" is used without the word "partially," that product may contain partially hydrogenated oil. Not all labeling is accurate and the word "partially" may have been wrongfully omitted. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website states: "Consumers can know if a food contains trans fat by looking at the ingredient list on the food label. If the ingredient list includes the wo
RE: Margarine & hydrogenated oil
I went to see a consultant endocrinologist last year as my cholesterol levels were high, and he told me about this and said that they (HVO's) were'poison'. He only has butter, which he said I could have in moderation. My (overweight)husband who was with me at the time was delighted, as I am always using low fat options where poss.
He went on to say about products like Chicken nuggets for children, being lethal. So much processed food contains harmful things.
I wish I had known years ago as we had them, although not too often. It is so easy to grill chicken breast, with butter and garlic, yummy!! Just as quick as nuggets, although more expensive.
I have had benecol though for my use since then, particularly in baking etc. It is so hard to avoid all these bad things for health, really depressing.
Iceni