michelle said:
This page may help explain. i'm not articulate enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
Ban on Trans Fats in Eateries?
- Thread starter Floh
- Start date
This page may help explain. i'm not articulate enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
I have no opinion on whether trans fats should be banned, but I think if one of the major fast food joints voluntarily switched to more healthy fats they'd practically run the others out of business, even if they did have to raise prices a bit.
Mabel said:
Well . . . Wendy's did it in August! :woohoo:
but is it now the number one seller? i don't know . . .
Wendy's will be 1st fast foodie with healthier oil
Wendy's move is expected to have vast repercussions both for consumers and for the $125 billion fast-food industry. It leaves No. 1 McDonald's and No. 2 Burger King in the dust. Nearly four years ago, McDonald's announced then quickly backed away from plans to cut trans fats in its cooking oil.
Now McDonald's, whose fries are a signature product, may be forced to respond quickly. Officials at McDonald's and Burger King say they're still testing new oils.
"This is a big deal," says nutritionist Marion Nestle, author of What To Eat. "For those who eat french fries every day, this will make a big difference."
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2006-06-08-wendys-usat_x.htm
ETA: Baltimore
Many national chains like McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Dunkin Donuts will have to change their artery-clogging recipes. In August Wendy's switched to a new cooking oil that contains no trans fatty acids.??"A consumer wouldn't necessarily feel the difference. It's a matter of getting the unhealthy products out and the healthier ones in, and you could enjoy the same foods without the risk of cardiac disease." added Dr. Sharfstein
http://wjz.com/local/local_story_270153258.html
Trans fats are very bad for us and they're totally unnecessary. IMO, they should've been banned long before now. I eat lunch at McDonald's quite a bit since it's close to my office and I know that burgers and fries aren't that great for me, but I'm okay with that as long as they don't contain trans fats. Why would anyone want to poison themselves intentionally? 
Ntegrity said:Trans fats are very bad for us and they're totally unnecessary. IMO, they should've been banned long before now. I eat lunch at McDonald's quite a bit since it's close to my office and I know that burgers and fries aren't that great for me, but I'm okay with that as long as they don't contain trans fats. Why would anyone want to poison themselves intentionally?
Oops:
Wendy's new oil won't work for McDonald's: COO
"We are familiar with the product that Wendy's is using," Alvarez told Reuters on Tuesday. "Our French fries are different and the product that they are using ... just doesn't work as well with our product."
http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...ESSPRO-LEISURE-MCDONALDS-DC.XML&from=business
i'm of the mindset that we americans have way too much freedom.. to the point where we don't know what to do with it, do bad things with it, and end up infringing upon OTHER peoples' freedom and well-being. humans by nature need rules and structure-- we are like children. there has to be a balance, where individual freedom vs. what is best for society as a whole, is concerned.
paladin, i think you summed it up best:
<More of anything = cheaper production costs = cheaper price to consumers = consumers buy more = consumers consume more = consumers get fatter = consumers have more health problems = heavier strain on medical costs = never ending cycle...>
bottom line is... when everyone wants to do what they want to do no matter what the consequences,, it often eventually becomes everyone's problem. this is why we have laws.
it's kind of like the talking-on-your-cell-while-driving issue... accidents, road rage, kids getting hit crossing the street, etc.. have increased.. and it's going to get the point where the govt. is going to have to step in and make it illegal everywhere. it's too bad, but this is an example where what the individual wants having a negative impact on society as a whole. we (in general) just can't handle that kind of freedom.
and those are good points about high fructose corn syrup, and other artificial ingredients. these products wouldn't be a problem if they weren't in every god damn thing that is out there... AND if young kids, who don't know any better- weren't specifically being targeted. but they are, and where does it end?
the other thing that no one has brought up.. is that these products end up becoming more & more prevalent, & the companies more & more powerful.. that the next thing you know, they put all the other smaller & local companies out of business, and suddenly, you find that these products are the ONLY choices out there. so, then people who DON'T want to eat them, end up in a situation (such as a school, or say a hospital, or somewhere just trying to find a bite to eat)... where they find that these food are their only option.. either eat it or starve. actually, that's kind of already happened!
the other thing is.... most of the cheap food out there has this crap in it. therefore, you're going to have more & more of the poorest families who are the most obese, least healthy, and will have the most medical problems down the line, and will be a huge burden on the system later down the road. is that really what we want...?
SDkid,, no one's telling you can't eat hydrogenated oils to your heart's content, and clog up your arteries to kingdom come (but why would WANT to, i dunno?). what they are saying is that the city is banning food eateries from selling foods than contain that. why is that a bad thing......????
amraan, you say "i want my fries with trans fats".. i don't understand, would you ONLY eat fries that were made with TF?? or would you consider eating fries made with a different kind of fat?
i personally am not mad at the govt.. it's these private companies who peddled this invisible poison to an unsuspecting, naive public for so many years... that are the real enemy. finally, they are exposed, and the public is educated. for many years they LIED to the american public, saying "margarine & shortening is better for you",, while quietly slipping hydro oils into every product they could get away with. and turns out, it was an outright deception.
it's like if you found out that starbucks, with all the money they make.. was putting liquid draino in their coffee that ate away your brain cells- so they could expand self life and increase profits as much as possible, at your expense... and telling you it was good for you. and the govt (the people) wanted to put a stop to that. would you protest the govt., and say,, NO! i want my starbucks with liquid draino, dammit!....??
paladin, i think you summed it up best:
<More of anything = cheaper production costs = cheaper price to consumers = consumers buy more = consumers consume more = consumers get fatter = consumers have more health problems = heavier strain on medical costs = never ending cycle...>
bottom line is... when everyone wants to do what they want to do no matter what the consequences,, it often eventually becomes everyone's problem. this is why we have laws.
it's kind of like the talking-on-your-cell-while-driving issue... accidents, road rage, kids getting hit crossing the street, etc.. have increased.. and it's going to get the point where the govt. is going to have to step in and make it illegal everywhere. it's too bad, but this is an example where what the individual wants having a negative impact on society as a whole. we (in general) just can't handle that kind of freedom.
and those are good points about high fructose corn syrup, and other artificial ingredients. these products wouldn't be a problem if they weren't in every god damn thing that is out there... AND if young kids, who don't know any better- weren't specifically being targeted. but they are, and where does it end?
the other thing that no one has brought up.. is that these products end up becoming more & more prevalent, & the companies more & more powerful.. that the next thing you know, they put all the other smaller & local companies out of business, and suddenly, you find that these products are the ONLY choices out there. so, then people who DON'T want to eat them, end up in a situation (such as a school, or say a hospital, or somewhere just trying to find a bite to eat)... where they find that these food are their only option.. either eat it or starve. actually, that's kind of already happened!
the other thing is.... most of the cheap food out there has this crap in it. therefore, you're going to have more & more of the poorest families who are the most obese, least healthy, and will have the most medical problems down the line, and will be a huge burden on the system later down the road. is that really what we want...?
SDkid,, no one's telling you can't eat hydrogenated oils to your heart's content, and clog up your arteries to kingdom come (but why would WANT to, i dunno?). what they are saying is that the city is banning food eateries from selling foods than contain that. why is that a bad thing......????
amraan, you say "i want my fries with trans fats".. i don't understand, would you ONLY eat fries that were made with TF?? or would you consider eating fries made with a different kind of fat?
i personally am not mad at the govt.. it's these private companies who peddled this invisible poison to an unsuspecting, naive public for so many years... that are the real enemy. finally, they are exposed, and the public is educated. for many years they LIED to the american public, saying "margarine & shortening is better for you",, while quietly slipping hydro oils into every product they could get away with. and turns out, it was an outright deception.
it's like if you found out that starbucks, with all the money they make.. was putting liquid draino in their coffee that ate away your brain cells- so they could expand self life and increase profits as much as possible, at your expense... and telling you it was good for you. and the govt (the people) wanted to put a stop to that. would you protest the govt., and say,, NO! i want my starbucks with liquid draino, dammit!....??
btw,, i don't know where you folks are getting the idea that foods with hydro oils/trans fats are "less tasty". the only thing H.O. do is increase shelf life and improve texture... so these products can stay in warehouses or on the shelf for longer periods of time, or be shipped from areas further away without being affected as much. i would much rather eat something that is freash and made locally (and recently!), that is more perishable.. than some kind of frankenfood that was made weeks (or longer??) ago-- that is going to stay artificially 'good' forever!
a good example of this is those weird muffins that come in a clear cellophane wrapper that you can get from convenience stores like 7-11. notice it takes a long time for them to go moldy. notice they also have a strange, flat, artificial taste and odd texture to them, compared to homemade (or freshly made). that's mainly because of the hydro oils-- they're loaded with them!
for those who don't know what hydro & partially hydro oils are or haven't researched it yet.. in a nutshell they are fats/oils that have been artificially manipulated on a molecular level to force them to be solid at room temperature, much like butter or lard. trans-fatty acids occur as a result of this process- which are sticky & harmful fats that can't be used by the body.
and in the end, they just call the whole mess "tans fats"... which interfere with the body's absorption of essential fatty acids, which are essential for human health. trans fats literally ARE a POISON to the body. this is not an exaggeration! the fact is... that there is NO safe level of trans fats.
OK, OK,, so nobody's perfect and everyone likes to indulge in things that aren't necessarily great for you. but there are plenty of desserts, sweets & snacks to indulge in that DON'T have this ingredient... and the least we can do is educate ourselves and not remain in denial of the facts. if enough people boycotted processed foods with this ingredient, maybe the manufacturers would wake up, and realize we really aren't just a bunch of "sheeple" who will blindly ingest anything they put in front of us.
more: http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cholesterol/a/Transfat.htm
a good example of this is those weird muffins that come in a clear cellophane wrapper that you can get from convenience stores like 7-11. notice it takes a long time for them to go moldy. notice they also have a strange, flat, artificial taste and odd texture to them, compared to homemade (or freshly made). that's mainly because of the hydro oils-- they're loaded with them!
for those who don't know what hydro & partially hydro oils are or haven't researched it yet.. in a nutshell they are fats/oils that have been artificially manipulated on a molecular level to force them to be solid at room temperature, much like butter or lard. trans-fatty acids occur as a result of this process- which are sticky & harmful fats that can't be used by the body.
and in the end, they just call the whole mess "tans fats"... which interfere with the body's absorption of essential fatty acids, which are essential for human health. trans fats literally ARE a POISON to the body. this is not an exaggeration! the fact is... that there is NO safe level of trans fats.
OK, OK,, so nobody's perfect and everyone likes to indulge in things that aren't necessarily great for you. but there are plenty of desserts, sweets & snacks to indulge in that DON'T have this ingredient... and the least we can do is educate ourselves and not remain in denial of the facts. if enough people boycotted processed foods with this ingredient, maybe the manufacturers would wake up, and realize we really aren't just a bunch of "sheeple" who will blindly ingest anything they put in front of us.
more: http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cholesterol/a/Transfat.htm
gosh,, thanks
.. i do what i can.
and i meant to say 'fresh" (not 'freash') and "trans fats" not ('tans fats')... and shelf life (not 'self life'). lol.
i reelly kan spel, i sware!
and amraann, there IS something wrong with a business making profits at the expense of the health and safety of their customers (or society in general)-and the environment (even this probably refers to pretty much ALL businesses...) and especially if they CONCEAL information from people, or outright lie about it. kind of like the cigarette companies back in the 50's saying "doctors agree... lucky strikes are GOOD for you... so smoke up!!" YES i do believe in individual rights to a point-- but moreover-- i believe in individual responsbility- as well as civic, govt., and corporate responsibility. i don't believe that our american "right" to make as much profits as we wanna make, at any cost, should be without limits or restrictions. i mean, how would you feel if a XXX
shop opened up right next to your kids' school (or your neighborhood school), and tried to sell products to them? obviously we need limits. too much freedom corrupts.
and i meant to say 'fresh" (not 'freash') and "trans fats" not ('tans fats')... and shelf life (not 'self life'). lol.
i reelly kan spel, i sware!
and amraann, there IS something wrong with a business making profits at the expense of the health and safety of their customers (or society in general)-and the environment (even this probably refers to pretty much ALL businesses...) and especially if they CONCEAL information from people, or outright lie about it. kind of like the cigarette companies back in the 50's saying "doctors agree... lucky strikes are GOOD for you... so smoke up!!" YES i do believe in individual rights to a point-- but moreover-- i believe in individual responsbility- as well as civic, govt., and corporate responsibility. i don't believe that our american "right" to make as much profits as we wanna make, at any cost, should be without limits or restrictions. i mean, how would you feel if a XXX
shop opened up right next to your kids' school (or your neighborhood school), and tried to sell products to them? obviously we need limits. too much freedom corrupts.Peter Hamilton
New Member
- Joined
- May 14, 2006
- Messages
- 3,374
- Reaction score
- 48
I think this is a great idea to outlaw trans fats,hopefully New York will succeed with this initiative---it is extremely unhealthy,although consuming products with it won't harm you much unless you have some on a regular basis---depends on your overall health---I've never eaten at a MacDonald's before,and have never liked french fries---but trans fats are in doughnuts and a lot of cakes and cookies,its quite a widespread ingredient
"Weight" is the new "smoking"...and I'm afraid it's only just begun. We'll make everyone be perfectly healthy if it kills us!!
LOL at the lifestyle police!
LOL at the lifestyle police!
Peter Hamilton
New Member
- Joined
- May 14, 2006
- Messages
- 3,374
- Reaction score
- 48
lol--true--but this is much more than just weight--plenty of thin people with clogged arteries drop dead every day--my own stepfather was never overweight,and he had a serious heart attack at 62
I agree that transfats are terrible.Peter Hamilton said:
call it 'lifestyle police' if you wish.. but if these things weren't so out of control to begin with, we wouldn't have to pass laws to limit them. keep in mind that one of the reasons this ban is being considered for NY eateries is because you can't read the labels when you order food at a restaurant!
i suppose there will always be hydrogenated oils out there in products for those who really want them & love them.. (why,, i can't imagine- lol)... but at least in products you buy at the grocery store, it's LABELLED right there in plain english.
but as people get more educated-- you just watch-- they will vote with their common sense & their dollars, and companies will have to start finding a healthier alternative (and maybe they won't LIE this time!).
btw,, a great new movie called "idiocracy" by mike judge- just came out, that describes perfectly the worst-case scenario of the future (in a comedic, satirical style)-- where people become dumber & dumber and just go along with every product that is put in front of them, without questioning it-- until those corporate entities become all powerful, and end up controlling the government and almost every aspect of peoples' everyday lives, to the point where people can't even think for themselves anymore. very 1984-ish in many ways. it's funny, and really makes a good point.
i suppose there will always be hydrogenated oils out there in products for those who really want them & love them.. (why,, i can't imagine- lol)... but at least in products you buy at the grocery store, it's LABELLED right there in plain english.
but as people get more educated-- you just watch-- they will vote with their common sense & their dollars, and companies will have to start finding a healthier alternative (and maybe they won't LIE this time!).
btw,, a great new movie called "idiocracy" by mike judge- just came out, that describes perfectly the worst-case scenario of the future (in a comedic, satirical style)-- where people become dumber & dumber and just go along with every product that is put in front of them, without questioning it-- until those corporate entities become all powerful, and end up controlling the government and almost every aspect of peoples' everyday lives, to the point where people can't even think for themselves anymore. very 1984-ish in many ways. it's funny, and really makes a good point.
I'm pretty much in agreement here, but I don't want the government to take this too far, as in "Well, we banned 2 things that are bad for you...let's keep going".
I'd just like to say something about "portion control". Have you noticed how insanely big portions are? For a long time whenever I went out to eat, I would finish everything on it because that was how I was raised...not to waste food. I think some of these food companies use putting more food on their plates as a way to justify higher prices, and just recently, my fiance and I have just started splitting dinners when we go out to eat, and we find there is still plenty of food for the both of us, and easier on the wallet. I used to be paranoid that the waiter would be annoyed by this and give us worse service, but I'm over that now.
There are only a small handful of restaurants that will gladly sell you "half portions" of meals, but the thing that irks me is that the half portion isn't half the price...more like a dollar or two off, which is ridiculous in my opinion. Restaurants really need to offer this up as an alternative to people who don't want to eat their enormous amounts or waste the food. The norm should be a smaller portion to begin with...it's 9 times out of 10 enough.
I'd just like to say something about "portion control". Have you noticed how insanely big portions are? For a long time whenever I went out to eat, I would finish everything on it because that was how I was raised...not to waste food. I think some of these food companies use putting more food on their plates as a way to justify higher prices, and just recently, my fiance and I have just started splitting dinners when we go out to eat, and we find there is still plenty of food for the both of us, and easier on the wallet. I used to be paranoid that the waiter would be annoyed by this and give us worse service, but I'm over that now.
There are only a small handful of restaurants that will gladly sell you "half portions" of meals, but the thing that irks me is that the half portion isn't half the price...more like a dollar or two off, which is ridiculous in my opinion. Restaurants really need to offer this up as an alternative to people who don't want to eat their enormous amounts or waste the food. The norm should be a smaller portion to begin with...it's 9 times out of 10 enough.
Guardians Monthly Goal
Online statistics
- Members online
- 109
- Guests online
- 1,461
- Total visitors
- 1,570