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Off Topic: What's the Most Trans Fat You've Seen?
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is my understanding that a regular whopper from burger king has 39 grams of trans fat. Disbelief
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kayenne
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:01 pm    Post subject: trans fats in food Reply with quote

i don't think people should be so concern as to the naturally occuring trans fats in meats and dairy products, as these are usually in very small amounts. people should be more concerned with artificially added trans fats found in wholly or partially hydrogenated vegetable or meat oils.

check the ingredient list, if you see hydrogenated vegetable(any vegetable) oil or even partially hydrogenated oil... that's the warning signal!

hydrogenated oils are often in solid or semi-solid state, like most margarines and shortening. although trans fat-free margarines and shortenings are also available now.

many of restaurants use hydrogenated oils to cook the food they serve you, especially fast food chains. the oils used for french fries, burgers, fried chicken... and the shortening used in pies and cakes, cookies and biscuits, etc. be a smart shopper. check the labels. find out if your favorite fastfood or restaurant use trans fat-free oils.

there's more info at www.bantransfats.com and in this article or this article.


feel free to ask questions.

kayenne

p.s. michael, sorry for the intrusion here. i felt the links may be appropriate due to the concerns aired. let me know if i shouldn't be linking things here. thanks!
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anonymous wrote:
Uh? what vitamins, pray tell, are only supplied by what food with fat?

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble while the B vitamins and C are water soluble.
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anonymous wrote:
It is my understanding that a regular whopper from burger king has 39 grams of trans fat. Disbelief

Actually, a Whopper from Burger King has 39 g of total fat. Of that 1.5 grams is trans.

Worst item on Burger King's menu (in terms of trans fat)? Small hask browns have 5 g for a 75 g serving.
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bytemyfoot
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 8:33 pm    Post subject: Fat Soluble Vitamins Reply with quote

In health class, I learned a great way to remember the fat soluble vitamins, as well as a little warning: A Dangerous Excess Kills. I'll be honest, I don't recall why a dangerous excess kills, but it's a great way to remember. Also, contrary to what many of my friends believe to be true, vitamin K is not potassium, K is just potassium's elemental symbol. No relation between the two.

</threadjack>
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zale
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
A Dangerous Excess Kills. I'll be honest, I don't recall why a dangerous excess kills


An excess of fat soluble vitamins can be harmful or even deadly because they are stored in the body until used while any excess water soluble vitamins will be excreted in your urine (that's why vitamin c etc. change the colour of your pee).
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sw
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:33 am    Post subject: Biscuits Reply with quote

In a search to fill a craving for canned refrigerator biscuits a few weeks ago, it was difficult to find some that had low or no trans fats (as identified by the ingredient list, not necessarily the nutrition label). All of the major brands had some or a lot. I think the grands biscuits had 3.5g per serving (per biscuit - who only eats one, anyway??) but I'm not sure on that. If so, these would beat out your grocery food leader, the tater tots, at 3g/serving. Anyway, I DID succeed in finding refrigerator biscuits that had no trans fat. They were the generic brand and used, as our Hamburger Professor noted, beef tallow. They were tasty.
-sw
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eltonyo



Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 88
Location: WA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most excellent!

This is most likely the most important thread, and topic, that has been brought up for discussion in a long time.

I am a bit confused about the post that talks about "naturally" occuring trans fats.... these only make up, at most perhaps 2 to 5% of total fats. So when you see a large number of trans fats (that have been proven deadly!)... please don't assume they are just NATURAL and yummy!

The McDonalds info, blew my mind. KFC also.

I went out and confirmed the 11 grams of trans fat in a McDonalds Deluxe breakfast, and this breaks my heart! There breakfast biscuits sandwiches, and fries, are also very bad. There are many senior citizens (my parents included), who take advantage of Mcdonalds dollar menu's and cheap breakfasts from time to time, and I am sure they have no idea about how deadly they are.

Most countries, around the world (why not us?), have known the dangers of trans fats, and the benifits of Omega 3's, for a long time, and have subsequently made changes to fortify their foods otherwise (i.e. reduce trans fats, and/or fortify their foods with omega 3's)

(I had just "assumed" the great "power" of the western world was privy to a few nutrition facts! ... how silly of me!!!!)

Are you all telling me.... that here in the states... we are still mass selling foods high in trans fats?!?!?!

I made my switch to non-trans fat butter or olive oil margarines a long time ago, but I never stopped to actually check the trans fats that are in the fast foods I eat from time to time.... (I just did!).... it's an outrage!

And I agree about the salt content too... where the hell is the FDA?!?!?!

Please keep this thread going.... and include as many facts as you can.

This subject fascinates me... and it is EXTREMELY important!

Keep in mind folks, there is no FDA recommended requirement percentage for trans fats.... they opt to leave that line BLANK on food labels. Even though all of the latest research, from around the world, going back many years, has concluded it is very toxic. In the same regard, there is no standard for Omega 3's, which have been shown to be an almost panacea, for all western diseases.

Most countries around the world (China, Scandinavian countries, England, ect... all fortify their foods, even bread, with Omega 3's!)

It's looking like Wendy's (fast food wise)... is the best alternative, in regards to high trans fats, (for senior citizens who depend on cheap fast food, and do not have means to do a nutrition study!)

Keep the info flowing on this subject....


Last edited by eltonyo on Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:55 am; edited 3 times in total
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Spudmunkey
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:05 am    Post subject: Hungry Man Breakfast Reply with quote

Well, the worst Hungry Man dinner of all time was the "All Day Breakfast"

here's a link to the nutrition information:
http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0744/yucky.gif

Unfortunately, this one was discontinued quickly, and it was before they had to label Trans Fats...but holy crap!

Serving Size: 1 Package
1,030 Calories
Total Fat 64g...98%
Saturated Fat 21g...104%
Cholesterol 690mg...231%
Sodium 2,090mg 87%
Total Carbs 78g...26%
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eltonyo



Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 88
Location: WA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:30 am    Post subject: Re: Hungry Man Breakfast Reply with quote

Spudmunkey wrote:
Well, the worst Hungry Man dinner of all time was the "All Day Breakfast"

here's a link to the nutrition information:
http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0744/yucky.gif

Unfortunately, this one was discontinued quickly, and it was before they had to label Trans Fats...but holy crap!

Serving Size: 1 Package
1,030 Calories
Total Fat 64g...98%
Saturated Fat 21g...104%
Cholesterol 690mg...231%
Sodium 2,090mg 87%
Total Carbs 78g...26%


HOLY HELL!!!!! I would not have believed it, if I didn't see the Food Label for myself!!! LOL!!!

231% cholestrol is about 4 eggs worth. Though truth be told, egg cholestrol is not the big bad wolf we once thought it was... its the trans fats that are real killers. This label was done before that requirement was law.

Always look for Trans Fats... and stay away from them.
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jimjimjim9



Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The following article was very interesting for a survey of the fats issue in the food industry; problems and possible solutions:

http://www.foodproductdesign.com/articles/681health.html
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mmlange



Joined: 11 Oct 2006
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:54 am    Post subject: Nutrition Data has it all Reply with quote

Here are the top trans-fats foods from Nutrition Data, sorted by grams/200 calories:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000071000000000000000.html
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
If you can't, then do your best to reduce your trans fat intake without losing the valuable nutrients and vitamins that are supplied only by foods with fat.


Just to round this out, the valuable nutrients mentioned are the essential fatty acids. Classically, these were arachidonic acid and linolenic acid. The modern view is that we need exogenous omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as precursors for larger/more complex fat molecules, but not specifically from arachidonic acid and linolenic acid.

Wikipedia has a nice article on "Essential fatty acid".
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eltonyo



Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 88
Location: WA

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 2:12 am    Post subject: Re: Nutrition Data has it all Reply with quote

mmlange wrote:
Here are the top trans-fats foods from Nutrition Data, sorted by grams/200 calories:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000071000000000000000.html


Actually.. this list is out dated. Fast foods resturants, like McDonalds and KFC, have much higher trans fat products.

I find the McDonalds case fascinating. With a little research, I found that they have recently been sued, because of trans fat promises they made way back in 2002!

McDonalds still has not reduced the trans fats that they proclaimed they once would (they made some small declines in chicken products), and worst yet they basically have been given a break by donated money to the American Heart Association (a very teeny tiny small percentage of their worth), to simply put off their attempt due to "taste" issues. McDonalds also stands behind that fact that it is not illegal to sell products with trans-fats in the USA.... how nice!

Oddly, McDonalds has already switched to lower trans-fat products in foreign countries, wherein people cannot tell the taste difference in their fries cooked here, or there! But in the USA, some 5 years after the promise to convert, McDonalds has simply made "donations" to "the american heart asscociation", to spare the more difficult transition, and offer up some nutitional facts of thier products to those that have the luxery to seek them out.

Wendy's, on the other hand, have made a trans fat reduction transition with no problems.

This is, in my interpretation, at least what I have read in my internet investigation.

Not happy.

I have always been a big McDonalds fan (in regards to fast food... and that simply goes back to when I was a kid, and we all loved the "golden arches!")

I am now switching to Wendys... (for my fast food cravings).

Better yet... I am going to try to stay away from all commercially made products, if I cannot verify the trans-fat additions.

There is simply too much deception going on.

And the FDA... sits back with useless action and power.

Meanwhile.... some of the rest of the world has already decided to ban trans-fat, and/or at least modify their foods with beneficial omega 3's fatty acids.

Makes ya crazy.

p.s. want some fries with that? ... loaded with 8 grams of trans-fats?!?!
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Hastur
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:20 am    Post subject: Trans-fats Reply with quote

I read the intro to this article (great topic) and felt that some of us may still be asking "but why are trans-fats bad for us?" So, I'll add a bit to the intro. The main reason, as I see it, that the "trans" configuration is worse for us than the "cis" configuration is that the "trans" configuration is a more symmetrical configuration and as a result it is more stable and therefore more resistant to breakdown. So (in general, mind you) when your body is looking for some blood sugar and you can't satisfy it by eating sugar immediately, and you haven't any carbs left, it will look to your fat stores to sate its requirement. The "cis" configuration of fat is much more readily broken down into sugar than is the "trans" configuration, this is due to the way that the "cis" configuration results in a bent molecule. Imagine two carbons with an "equal" sign between them (the double bond), in the "cis" config the double bond is bent over and just asking to be broken (lopsided forces, strong on one side, weak on the other) so our bodies will fall upon them first as it is the path of least resistance. In the "trans" configuration the double bond is not bent, the forces surrounding the double bond are not askew but rather are symmetrically arranged such that there is balance and stability in the molecule, i.e. it is "happy" as it is and won't let any"body" mess with it. So the trans-fat stays and is free to start a whole other chain of events that lead to arterial clogging (someone kindly take over from here).

Anyways, I would like to propose that we follow the original intent of this question/post and put together a list of bad stuff to eat. I think we need to agree on an index of some sort considering that serving sizes are variable. How about grams of trans fats divided by serving grams? Are all serving sizes indicated in grams? I forget but will check next time I shop. Do we need the sg of liquid foods? Mabey next time I'm in Wendy's I'll ask for and MSDS for the Chilli (-:
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