Of all the controversies in the food industry, why does the 'good fats' vs. 'bad fats' battle rage the most intensely? Why is this battle more divisive than the one pitting 'good carbs' against 'bad carbs'? How about a 'good protein' vs. 'bad protein' controversy? Or even a 'good vegetable' vs. 'bad vegetable'? Don't eat vegetables X, Y, Z because they will kill you! Have you ever seen an ad trying to sell you a bowl full of freshly harvested vegetables? How many TV ads have tried to inflict greasy burgers with oily fries on you under the guise of 'delicious'! Real food does not need millions of dollars to be proactively pushed through advertising channels. Real food sells itself. Ever heard a mother admonish her child: ”eat more cookies loaded with trans fats, they are good for you!” Or are you more familiar with:” Eat your vegetables, otherwise you will not get dessert!”
But back to my first point. One of the most heated debates in food is 'the war of fats'. On the one hand you will find nutritionists such as Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon preach that animal fats and other saturated fats such as coconut oil that come from high-quality sources are beneficial to your health. On the other end of the spectrum are the vegans and vegetarians who will argue – sometimes with more emotion than ratio - against eating anything that may be derived from an animal. For a scientific, objective summary of the latest research into fats and oils read Dr. Walter C. Willett's latest edition of "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy.' If Enig is on the right of the spectrum, Willett in dead center, and vegans on the left, I would place Sally Beare to the left of Willett. Beare advocates eating unprocessed oils derived from seeds and nuts, monounsaturated oil such as a quality first-pressed olive oil, and fish oils. While she does not totally dismiss eating meat and diary products, she advises the reader to keep this portion of fat intake low in comparison to fat and oil sources from fish, nuts and seeds. After all, the blue zones eat diets high in plant fats and low in animal fats. Probably one sign of an affluent society (not affluent in health but affluent in options - both good and bad) is how easily you can obtain a large variety of fats - even fake fats such as partially hydrogenated ‘trans fats’ and hydrogenated fats (trans fats are artificially altered fats that tend to be liquid at room temperature. These fats have been hydrogenated i.e. have had hydrogen added to make them solid at room temperature. This prolongs their shelf life.) If there is ONE area on which most nutritionists do seem to agree, whether these nutritionists are highly qualified such as Dr. Enig or whether they are those who profess to 'have a PhD in nutrition' but do not openly state the institute which awarded them the doctorate such as Udo Erasmus (he mentions the institution that awarded him a masters but does not inform which institution awarded him his professed PhD in nutrition), it is that trans fats should be avoided. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil are commonly used when frying and baking and are found in processed ‘foods’ such as many breakfast cereals, cookies, salad dressings, pizza dough, pancake mix, chocolate, hot chocolate drinks, ice cream, birthday cakes and crackers. What are we feeding our children? What 'foods' do we choose to celebrate their milestones such as birthdays? Read the labels! The information is at your finger tips. It is highly laudable that in 2006 the Board of Health in New York voted to ban trans fats in restaurants in New York— from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries. Other major cities around the U.S. and elsewhere have yet to follow. You will also notice the prevalence of trans fats and hydrogenated oils in imported Asian food. The U.S. has stricter requirements on disclosure of trans fats than many other countries. If you purchase a bagel or order a meal outside New York, beware of the oils that are likely to be lurking in your 'food’. So before you bite into that 'oh-so-French' croissant you purchased at a boulangerie during a trip to Paris, keep in mind that many pastries offered in French bakeries are commercially produced and replete with unhealthy fats. Ignorance may be bliss, but it ain't good for your health! For more on trans fats, see http://bantransfats.com.
Take home message: be suspicious about the quality of the oils and fats used in the food you order when on the road. Don’t be embarrassed to ask your waiter. Most restaurants purchase their desserts to resell them to you and many restaurants will buy the cheapest desserts available. These are replete with trans fats and in no way boost your immunity or longevity! Just ask.
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