Trans Fats / Margarine / Danger to Your Health & Wellbeing: Health Tip

* General educational tips only. For individual advice please consult a health advisor.


Are you or any of your friends one of the many people who have switched to
margarine...thinking it's healthier? This week's tip looks at one (not the only)
reason why I think you've been conned.

Have you ever heard of Trans fats?...you've almost certainly eaten them and
possibly in something you considered healthy. Unfortunately, it's another case
of 'food manufacturers tampering with 'natural' foods and turning them into
'harmful' foods, ironically in the name of health.

So what are Trans Fats?

Basically, trans fats are fats formed when liquid oils are turned into solid
fats through hydrogenation - e.g when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine
or shortening etc.

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest in the U.S (CPSI), says small
amounts of trans fats occur naturally in beef and dairy products – but 80 per
cent of the trans fats in the average American diet (* may be a bit less in
Australia but still high) originates from partially hydrogenated vegetables oils
(PHVO).

These PHVOs are used to ... wait for it...help food manufacturers increase the
shelf lives of their products.

Michael Jacobsen, executive director of CPSI says,
"Unlike fats that occur in nature, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is
totally artificial and absolutely unnecessary in the food supply".

And one of the all-time great quotes, he says,
"Food-processing companies should worry less about the shelf life of their
products and more about the shelf life of their customers. Getting rid of
PHVO is probably the single easiest, fastest, cheapest way to save tens of
thousands of lives each year."

Bad Cholestrol!!!

Trans fats are seen as particularly dangerous because they raise levels of
harmful LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol which protects against heart
disease. If our LDL cholesterol levels remain elevated and can’t be broken down,
our arteries can become clogged, increasing the risk of heart disease and
conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Source: Centre for Science in the Public
Interest

Now, you're really confused right? For all these years you thought margarine and
things were the healthy option and now you don't know who/what to believe.
And this is just one of many cases re; foods.

We'll do a whole separate issue on how best to deal with the whole conflicting
health advice thing soon, but for this case, just ask yourself, "is margarine a
naturally occurring food?" No, as stated above it's completely 'artificial',
created by scientists (whose intentions I don't question) using a fraction of
the intelligence of nature's infinite intelligence.

*This also goes for 'heart healthy' things fortified with Omega 3's etc - if you
want omega 3's, get them from a 'naturally occurring' source. If you are worried
about your heart/cholesterol focus on the big issues - reducing stress, regular
exercise, being happy, eating less fat generally etc - rather than thinking some
scientifically designed foodstuff will solve everything.

* Note: Be aware that much of the negative media on margarines
and trans fats is not relevant to Australia because it's often based on US
margarines - most Australian margarines, especially the ones marketed as being
healthy for cholesterol are usually low in trans fats.

Australian margarine manufacturers have generally reduced trans fat levels
and thus are margarines are not as bad (though still not natural).

Tip:

Reduce/Avoid where possible any foods that have Trans fats from PHVO's -
e.g. high trans fat margarines. Go for more 'natural' spreads like hommus, avocado, seed (e.g tahini) or nut butters etc.
Don't forget we all need some fat/oil etc. But moderation in all things.

And Speaking of Dangerous Foods - Are You Married or Thinking About It?

A dietitian was once addressing a large audience in Chicago. "The material we
put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago.

Red meat is awful. Soft drinks erode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded
with MSG. None of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the germs in our
drinking water.

But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have, or
will, eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief
and suffering for years after eating it?"

A 75-year-old man in the front row stood up and said

......................"Wedding cake."

Author unknown.

Cheers for now. Enjoy. Mark & Health Advantage Australia.

_______________________________________________________________________

Tip written by Mark Bunn - health guest speaker & health speakers coaching.

To receive Weekly E-Tips like the ones above - simply click here
FREE Subscription - Mark's ‘Natural Health & Wellbeing’ Weekly E-Tips

For more on 'Natural Health & Wellness' visit - http://www.healthspeaker.com.au/resources.php

_____________________________________________________________________________

Can I Use These Tips in my/our Newsletter/Ezine/Media article etc?

Absolutely. We are very happy for you to do this, provided you include the following;

This article was written by Mark Bunn - for more about Mark see - http://www.healthspeaker.com.au

For a Free Subscription to Mark's 'Natural Health & Wellbeing' Weekly E-Zine, go to - http://www.healthspeaker.com/etips

* Note: To reprint, the Links must be live.

To ask a question re; reproducing a tip,  just drop us a quick line at info@healthspeaker.com.au 

For more information on Maharishi Ayurveda™, email us at - info@healthspeaker.com.au

_____________________________________________________________________________

 * This article is fully copyrighted. Copyright © 2004
Health Advantage Australia. All rights reserved.
Do not copy or reproduce any part of this tip without permission or as outlined above.