2008 Woodie Awards
Trans-Fat: Not the Problem
Michele Simon
Issue date: 3/12/07 Section: Opinions
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Junk-food lovers rejoice, for government officials are on the job protecting your health. Or are they?
Philadelphia recently became the first city to pass legislation to ban artificial trans-fat that artery-clogging, industry-created substance used in frying oil and many baked goods. Following the lead of New York City's Board of Health, which enacted regulations in December, more than a dozen states are now considering similar laws.
As an advocate for good nutrition, I'm pleased to see major cities take action on one of the most pressing public health problems of our time _ the way we eat. Given that the food industry continues to lobby hard against common-sense nutrition policies
at federal and state level, we need more local governments protecting the public's health. Moreover, removing trans fat from the food supply could help reduce the risk
of heart disease.
Yet the current effort threatens to overshadow the bigger dietary picture.
Focusing on this single ingredient misses the fact that most of the items prepared with trans fat are junk foods to begin with.
Fried chicken, french fries, chips, cookies and cakes are unhealthy no matter what type of fat is used. What good is a trans-fat-free donut?
This reductionist approach to nutrition has encouraged such absurd marketing hype is "zero trans fat" Cheetos. Replacing one
ingredient does not magically create health food. Even without trans fat, these highly processed products remain devoid of nutrition, high in calories and fat, and
chock full of chemical additives.
Ironically, some restaurants are substituting saturated fat, which highlights the most important limitation of trans-fat bans. Does anybody remember that we discovered the numerous cardiovascular
risks caused by saturated fat (found mainly in meat and dairy products) long before food
manufacturers invented trans fat?
But we never did deal adequately with the problem of excess saturated fat in the food supply. That's understandable when you realize that doing so requires taking on the extremely powerful meat and dairy industries,
Philadelphia recently became the first city to pass legislation to ban artificial trans-fat that artery-clogging, industry-created substance used in frying oil and many baked goods. Following the lead of New York City's Board of Health, which enacted regulations in December, more than a dozen states are now considering similar laws.
As an advocate for good nutrition, I'm pleased to see major cities take action on one of the most pressing public health problems of our time _ the way we eat. Given that the food industry continues to lobby hard against common-sense nutrition policies
at federal and state level, we need more local governments protecting the public's health. Moreover, removing trans fat from the food supply could help reduce the risk
of heart disease.
Yet the current effort threatens to overshadow the bigger dietary picture.
Focusing on this single ingredient misses the fact that most of the items prepared with trans fat are junk foods to begin with.
Fried chicken, french fries, chips, cookies and cakes are unhealthy no matter what type of fat is used. What good is a trans-fat-free donut?
This reductionist approach to nutrition has encouraged such absurd marketing hype is "zero trans fat" Cheetos. Replacing one
ingredient does not magically create health food. Even without trans fat, these highly processed products remain devoid of nutrition, high in calories and fat, and
chock full of chemical additives.
Ironically, some restaurants are substituting saturated fat, which highlights the most important limitation of trans-fat bans. Does anybody remember that we discovered the numerous cardiovascular
risks caused by saturated fat (found mainly in meat and dairy products) long before food
manufacturers invented trans fat?
But we never did deal adequately with the problem of excess saturated fat in the food supply. That's understandable when you realize that doing so requires taking on the extremely powerful meat and dairy industries,
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