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'Trans-fats' are a simpler way of stating that the product has trans-saturated fat in it. Now what, pray-tell, is trans-saturated fat? Good question.

Very simply, and because I'm not a health expert by design, trans-saturated fats are the bad fats that, when consumed, lead to higher LDL fat in the bloodstream. And LDL cholesterol fat is the type of fat that one does not want to have too much of in their blood. Why? Well a couple of minor reasons, namely...heart attacks...and, strokes.

Enough said on that? Good.

Now, the reason why LDL cholesterol fat is so bad is essentially because it is the type of fat that doesn't get readily absorbed in the body. Instead this type of 'bad fat' floats around the body via the blood and when it sees fit to, it plants itself somewhere inside the blood vessel. And sometimes this 'sticking around' of the LDL fat is what causes the above health conditions since too much fat sticking to the wall of any part of a blood vessel, as you know, leads to a narrowing of the blood vessel and, ergo, heart attacks and strokes. Not good.

Now, again, let me remind you that I am nowhere near considered a health expert. The description I gave you above is my very 'dumbed-down' (okay scratch that description and replace it with 'simplified') version of what this medical stuff is all about. If you want to have a more detailed explanation ask your general practitioner or go to WebMD.com, or do some Googling on 'trans-fats'.

Now, continuing...

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So, I hope we can both agree that trans fats are bad for the human body. In this case, your body, my dear reader.

And I trust that we'd agree that it's a good idea to limit this type of fat with the food we intake on a daily basis, right?

Well, now the food manufacturers would have us believe that they're on our side and only looking out for us, the consumers of their products.

But, I happen to think regarding their new '0 grams of trans-fats' that this is all - in four simple and family-friendly words: 'A bunch of bull!'

You see, for almost a century food manufacturers have been using a food manufacturing process that involves changing an oil, through a process called 'hydrogenation', into a different type of oil called 'partially hydrogenated oil'.

Very simplistically, what this process does is it adds another hydrogen atom to the carbon chain in the oil molecule. Essentially, an artificial molecule, a 'hydrogenated' molecule is created.

But here's the real issue, in my opinion, around food manufacturers utilizing this process.

These hydrogenated molecules cannot be absorbed by the body because they're artificial. And normally something artificial that's consumed would be purged or eliminated out of the body. But, unfortunately, not with this stuff - these hydrogenated oils.

I'll explain...

You see, because of the artificiality of these oil molecules, combined with the fact that they're essentially fat molecules, causes them to stay in the body and not get used by the body. Instead, they get stored in the body's fat deposits, along with all the other fat molecules.

Now, picture yourself consuming a lot of partially hydrogenated oil through eating food containing this oil, this artificially processed, partially modified, fatty oil. And picture a lot of this artificially fatty oil being stored in the body, in the body's storage areas - the fat deposits - because the oil molecules can't be absorbed or used.

Would you not agree that this is not a good scenario for us?

Would you think it plausible that perhaps some of this artificially modified oil compound, that is stored in the body's fat deposits, is not a good thing and potentially could lead to certain diseases - like cancer?

I do.

And many others do too.

Again, I'll explain.

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I worked with this man in the mid-1990's who had survived bowel cancer. I learned a whole lot from his experience and in fact this was the first time I had ever heard about 'partially-hydrogenated oils'.

He once told me that the first thing he cut out of his diet after recovering from his cancer was 'partially hydrogenated oils.' I asked why and he told me what I described to you several paragraphs above.

When he told me about these oils and what happens in the body with this stuff it really struck a chord with me. It made total sense.

Essentially, we're eating a chemical that the body can't use, but instead keeps IN the body and stores in the fat. It's hard to argue that this is something to be preferred inside anyone's carcass.

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Now, why do we even have to be discussing this topic, that is, why do manufacturers use this type of manufactured oil in the first place?

Easy answer...money.

Remember my 'A bunch of bull!' statement from earlier? Well, the reason why I said that was because food manufacturers are now removing trans-saturated fats a.k.a. trans fats a.k.a. partially-hydrogenated oils from their food products. Why? Because the U.S. Surgeon General said in 2005 that trans-fats are bad for today's diets.

So, the food manufacturers are removing the oil because they're responding to a health statement from the U.S. Surgeon General, right? Right. Seriously, that's a correct statement.

But let's get to the real crux of the matter which is, why was partially hydrogenated oil used in the first place in food products?

Again, easy answer...

Money.

You see, this type of oil allows a product to have a longer shelf life. Essentially, it stays consumable for far longer because of this preservative-type oil in it.

...And a longer shelf life means less food spoilage since it's more likely to be bought before spoilage.

...And less spoilage before purchase means that food manufacturer actually sells the product before needing to throw it away due to spoilage.

...And more sold food and less waste means more money in the food manufacturers pockets.

Again, it's all about economics.

Oh sure, there may have been an admirable reason to have this type of trans-fatty oil in certain products earlier during the 20th century when refrigeration still wasn't a readily available option in the vast majority of kitchens. Heck, I still remember my parents storing bread in the bread box, and me and my siblings having to check every sandwich before we ate it to make sure there wasn't any 'green' on it (and I'm not talking money). But those times are long gone.

How can I be so sure? Well, let's do a quick rundown of what categories of products TODAY still contain partially-hydrogenated oils:

- bread
- pastries
- yogurt
- ice cream
- cereals
- soups
- pasta
- candy
- frozen pies
- frozen meals
- frozen popsicles

Essentially, these are the big categories that contain hydrogenated oils. There are thousands more smaller categories.

Now, let me ask you - is it necessary that we have artificially manufactured oil in ice cream? In yogurt? In frozen uncooked french fries?

Where's the economic need in that in today's society? I'll tell you where...nowhere.

The only reason food manufacturers use partially-hydrogenated oils, which are harmful to us, the consumer, is so that their products stay fresher longer and they make more money through product sales.

And now we're supposed to believe the advertising for all these redone products to '0 grams trans-fats' is because the food manufacturers have our health in mind.

And again...'bull' I say.

Food companies are only making this switch because the U.S. Surgeon General said trans fats should be consumed in limited amounts and now they want to be seen as being responsive and caring for your and my health and so that we'll then by more of their products because they're trans-fat free. Sneaky, eh?

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So what is the salient point of me and my long diatribe about trans-fats and partially-hydrogenated oils?

Well, I would hope that through my sharing about this topic that you, my fellow human being, is more educated about what is going on down at your local supermarket, wholesale food superstore, and corner grocery store.

After all, it is your body. And now that you know what's going on and how easy it is to find out which products contain partially-hydrogenated oils a.k.a trans fats oils, the big question becomes...

What are YOU going to eat?

Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com
'Learn About Life From Another Perspective'

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