Sunday, August 26, 2007

Fair food even better: No trans fats

link1
I read this yesterday (link 1), about some vendors at the MN state fair not using oils with trans fats anymore because supposedly those oils without trans fats are healthier for us. Well, guess what, taking the trans fats out of cooking oils alters the taste of the food cooked in them (not for the better either), changes the color of the food, and makes the food greasier. Not only are trans fats found in partially hydrogenated cooking oils, they are also found in meat and dairy products. They are not added to those meat and dairy products, they are naturally occurring and a necessary part of our diet. This is another case of scare tactics aimed at society, telling us what we need to eat to be healthy. I'm sorry, my grandparents didn't follow any of these half-assed, unproven, idiotic ideas and they lived well into their 80's and 90's.
By removing trans fats, companies can tell us their products are healthier for us and charge us more for them (how many products do you know of with artificial sweeteners, altered fats, etc that are cheaper than the original product?).
link2
This second link is from Junkfood Science and covers the hype on trans fats pretty well. I remember baking cookies when I was a kid (and shortcake, and cakes, and breads) and using Crisco (not butter like I do now). I had wondered why my baked goods now weren't as light and fluffy and tasty as what I baked when I was much younger. Now I know, it's the lack of trans fats that are allowing long strands of gluten to form in my wheat doughs, which makes them heavier. I was never able to make a flaky pie crust, but my mother could. Pie crusts nowadays aren't as flaky, they taste doughy, and I couldn't figure out why. Now I know, no trans fats in the Crisco.
But of course, all this is fine, because eating is not something to be enjoyed, food is nothing more than fuel and should not be savored lest we all become OMG!!! FAT! Tasty food is sinful, decadent, fattening, unhealthy, while 'good' food is low-calorie, low-fat, and healthy. Tasty food is bad for you, 'good' food is healthy for you and isn't supposed to taste all that great because if it did, we might become FAT! This does not take into consideration that not all people are meant to be thin, and not all people are meant to be fat. As has been said before (and there are studies that show this), you can't make a naturally thin person fat, nor can you make a naturally fat person thin.
And as far as food at the state fair being healthy or unhealthy, most of the food there is not what anyone would eat every day, so what does it hurt to splurge once a year? I don't see anything wrong with splurging more than once a year either. I don't make a habit of it, but if I see something that I like, it smells good, tastes good, and I want it, I don't give a rat's ass if it's good for me or not, I'm going to eat it. If you want to deprive yourself striving for an unattainable size 0, go for it, I don't care. But don't berate me because I refuse to buy into that mindset. What you eat, how you look, your health, and whether or not you exercise, none of those are any of my business. And what I eat, how I look, whether I exercise or not, and my health are none of your business either.

1 comment:

  1. I am with you leave the trans fats in the foods. I wonder how Dunkin donuts will taste now that they have removed the trans fat from the cooking oils they use.

    As for the State Fair, I don't go their to get lectured on what to eat I go there to eat and enjoy myself. Good Post.

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