[1] Toxic Trans-Fat Foods Are Taking American Lives - Opinion

[2]
By Diana Quezada

Don’t be fooled by the labels on snacks parading their “zero trans fat” content because they are misleading and hidden ingredients are killing Americans.
Under Food and Drug Administration requirements all packaged foods must list trans fat content on their labels. However, there’s a glitch in the system.

FDA regulations state that if the serving size of a food product contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, the content “shall be expressed as zero.”
Consumers who indulge in their favorite snacks and have four servings instead of just one, with a serving size containing 0.3, have actually consumed 1.2 total grams.

Those extra grams can considerably increase the risk of deadly diseases.
If the label on the snacks Americans are eating says “zero trans fat,” they need to take action into their own hands and investigate further.
The easiest way to know if a product has trans-fat is to look at the list of ingredients. According to WebMD.com, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and even shortening, are clear signs that trans fat is lurking.

Partially hydrogenated oil contains the deadly trans fat, which is derived from an industrial process used to make oil more solid. Its purpose is to provide a longer shelf life in baked products and it’s used to achieve a texture that is more “mouth friendly” to consumers.
Because of companies’ carelessness in choosing their ingredients the American population is being exposed to serious health risks. Hardened artery walls and increased blood pressure as well as heart disease and diabetes are just some of the side effects.

Top nutritionists at Harvard University have stated that replacing partially hydrogenated oil with natural oils would prevent approximately 30,000 premature coronary deaths per year.
Last June, the American Heart Association issued its “2006 Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations,” making a “high-priority recommendation” that food manufacturers and restaurants replace.

This should be more than a recommendation. It should be mandatory.
Tiburon, California became the first trans-fat free city in America in 2004. New York City adopted a similar policy by banning trans fat in all its restaurants. Boston, Chicago, and others soon followed suit, as well as restaurant chains like Taco Bell, KFC, The Cheesecake Factory, and even the Walt Disney Company.
There are plenty of misconceptions about what the ban entails. McDonald’s won’t be shutting down and “America’s favorite fry” will still be served. The ban simply says to use healthier oils.
It’s not only fast food chains that serve trans fat-infested foods. Even five-star restaurants fry their foods in partially hydrogenated oil.

In an Oct. 13, 2006 Wall Street Journal poll, 61 percent of Americans were in favor of banning trans fat usage in their city’s restaurants.
It’s a shame that 39 percent of those polled were against a move that could save so many lives.
Whether it’s a general lack of consumer knowledge on the dangers of trans fat or simply a decision to turn a blind eye, Americans are endangering their health. With recent studies showing that more than 60 percent of the US population is overweight, the FDA and food companies need to make a change, or America will soon be the “Land of the Obese.”