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Your children will
see what you're all about by what you live rather than what you say.
- Wayne Dyer
Trans Fats
It's all over the news lately, well known food chains
declaring themselves "Transfat Free". Corporations like McDonald's, Kentucky
Fried Chicken and Starbucks have all jumped on the bandwagon. New York City is
leading the way for American cities by banning the use of trans fat in all
city restaurants beginning in July 2007.
So what's all the fuss? What are trans fats and how do they
affect us? Trans fatty acids are synthetic saturated fats, created by a
chemical process called partial hydrogenation. Current studies are linking
trans fats to serious illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
Trans fats undermine our health by raising bad cholesterol levels (LDL) while
lowering good cholesterol levels (HDL).
Trans fats have been around for more than a century, but
gained popularity in the food manufacturing business and the fast food world
because of it’s ability to add shelf life to packaged food, withstand repeated
heating in a deep fryer, and to provide the flavor and texture American’s have
come to expect and crave in their baked goods. Unfortunately consumers are
paying a very high price; they are paying with their health.
There are four types of fat; polyunsaturated fat,
monounsaturated fat, saturated fat and trans fat. Polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated fat, the healthy fats, are found in items such as olive oil,
canola oil, corn, nuts and seeds. Saturated fats, which should be eaten in
moderation, are found mostly in animal products such as beef and poultry,
milk, cheese and butter. Trans fats are found in most margarines and vegetable
shortening, typical processed foods, fast foods and commercially baked
products.
Because of recent studies and the new labeling laws, many
food manufacturers are now offering “fat-free” versions of their products, but
buyer beware! According to The Energy Times Magazine these new products,
although labeled trans fat free can still, by law, contain 0.5 grams per
serving without listing it on the nutrition label. So be a label reader! If
you see any of the following words on the ingredient list, it does contain
trans fat: hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or shortening.
While the U.S. is moving in the right direction with the
new labeling laws, other countries are taking this dietary threat more
seriously. Canada is working to ban trans fats completely, and Denmark has
declared trans fat illegal!
So safeguard yourself and your family by making wise
choices when you shop or eat out. The best protection you have against this
dietary enemy is to replace trans fat and saturated fat with unsaturated fats.
You can do this by reading labels and buying whole foods that you can prepare
at home with the healthy oils that will benefit your body, not destroy it.
Recommended Reading
Eat, Drink & Be Healthy by Dr. Walter Willett
Food For Life by Dr. Neal Barnard
Food For Thought
As spring approaches, extra greens in your
diet will help your body metabolize the fats and heavy foods of winter and
prepare you for warmer weather. Collard greens are nutritional powerhouses,
packed with phytonutrients that trigger cell detoxification. They are also
very rich in calcium and vitamins A and C. Combine your greens with fresh
herbs like parsley and dill to give your tongue an early taste of spring
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Cool Planet: Action Tip of the Month
The Case for Cloth Bags
Plastic bags have a simple
mission. They carry groceries and supplies home from the store. But for these
few minutes of convenience are planet pays big-time.
Every plastic bag starts with an oil tanker chugging
overseas from the Middle East. it proceeds through energy intensive
manufacturing, printing and distribution. Most bags end up carrying just a few
items, with heavier products double-bagged.
Some plastic bags find their way to a recycle bin, where
another manufacturing cycle kicks in. But most end up in landfills or as
litter.
Planet Ark reports that plastic bags annually choke,
strangle or starve some 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other animals
worldwide. Americans alone accounts for an estimated 84 billion bags a year.
So what can we do?
Smart shoppers are rising to the challenge by stashing
cloth grocery bags in their car, carrying one with them on errands, declining
bags at checkout, and recycling any plastic they do not use. Together our
actions should prompt more retailers and clerks to follow suit.
We can make a difference, one
shopper at a time!
Stop & Shop is selling sturdy cloth bags for
only 99 cents!
For more information on this important topic
visit: www.reusablebags.com
Click on
the Healthy Recipe section of the website to view the recipe of the month-
Collards with Dill and Parsley
. Look for new recipes in the future.
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