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| Health & Fitness Health issues, diet, exercise, sleep, fitness, endurance, flexibility, strength, physical skills, sports, health habits, healing |
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| | #1 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Toledo, OH
Posts: 150
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This might seem like a strange question, but I'm going to ask it anyway... My wife and I were at the store today and were trying to find a "healthy" butter spread without buying actual butter. I looked at several different brands that were labeled "zero trans fats" on the front of the package, and the nutrition label indicated 0% trans fats, yet the ingredient list showed hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. My understanding is that anything hydrogenated contains trans fats. Am I correct? And if so, how can these food companies advertise zero trans fats on the package? Does anyone have some insight on this? Gemini4X PS. In case you're wondering, we're trying to eliminate all white flour, sugar, hydrogenated oils, aspartame (and other chemical sweeteners), and high fructose corn syrup from our diets. |
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| | #2 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Logan, UT
Posts: 357
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It's simple: "trans fats" don't exist... The technical term is "trans-fatty acids," so even if a product has some trans-fatty acids in it, technically it doesn't have any of the fictional trans fats. |
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| | #4 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NC
Posts: 155
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Gemini4X (hey, that's my sign except for the 4X) - The FDA allows a certain amount of trans-ahem!-fatty acids in foods that are labeled 0-trans-fat. I think the maximum is 1/2 g, but you may want to corroborate that. At any rate, look at the ingredient list and believe that over the goofy-looking label. |
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| | #5 (permalink) |
| Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 7
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As the poster before me said, if a food has less than 0.5g of any item listed, it is allowed to say zero trans fat (this gives some slack due to manufacturing process remnants). What this means for you is that food companies have effective hidden trans fats by decreasing the serving size to hide the trans fats. They are then allowed to claim "zero trans fats". So, you are doing the right thing by looking for partially hydrogenated plant oils on the label. It is best to avoid trans fatty acids completly! Here are a few resources that I have found along my path: Food Labels -- Nutrition information and misinformation (Page 3 of 3) Trans Fats - What are Trans Fats or Hydrogenated Fats? Revealing Trans Fats Healthy Person: 10 Worst Trans Fat Foods Ban Trans Fats: The Campaign to Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils Trans Fatty Acids and Coronary Heart Disease, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health Hope that helps and stay healthy! |
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| | #6 (permalink) | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Toledo, OH
Posts: 150
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I guess "trans fats" really do exist... Even the FDA refers to them that way. Gemini4X | |
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| | #7 (permalink) |
| Family Member Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,225
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Smart Balance butter is good. No hydrogenated oils and it's tasty. You can get the "Omega3" version that has a small amount of flaxseed oil that gives it a little omega3 fat. But it's still mostly omega6 essential fats. |
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| | #8 (permalink) |
| Family Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Home
Posts: 2,578
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Less than 0.5g means 0g trans fats. If it says No trans fats, then it has none. They also made the serving sizes smaller but most people don't change their eating habits based on serving sizes. So thus, it is deception on a monumental level, although I wish they would say 0.434384785433273473g trans fats instead of 0g trans fats.
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| | #10 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NC-USA
Posts: 660
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I agree with Stanmrak. Why not just use butter? I mean are you planning to make it such a big portion of your diet that it would really make a difference? A healthy butter from grass fed cows could have generous portions of k2, and a very healthy fat profile, believe it or not. I never understand the reasoning behind the fake stuff. Fake butter, fake meat, fake ice cream, fake bread, etc. I just feel that if I think something is unhealthy, but I still like the taste I will simply limit the amount I eat of the real thing. Congrats on improving your diet it isn't always easy.
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| | #11 (permalink) |
| Retired Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,501
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I love love love butter, but it's my understanding that this stuff isn't so bad - Earth Balance Natural Spreads |
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| | #12 (permalink) |
| Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 30
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There's no need to avoid butter. The 'healthy' alternatives are a lot worse for you than some natural pure butter. Go for grass fed or organic butter if you can find it and use butter without a seconds regret! |
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| | #13 (permalink) | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 585
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On the topic of trans fat, yuck. Your body can't properly process that artificial fat, and you end up stuck with it. I won't eat anything that would have partially hydrogenated oils because I stick to whole foods. The OP was absolutely correct to identify these products as having trans fat, despite the deceptive labeling. | |
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| | #15 (permalink) | |
| Family Member Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,460
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It's got soybean and canola oil, "natural" flavor derived from corn (hopefully not GMO but I'm not holding my breath), and soy protein. It contains 3 grams of polyunsaturated oils per tablespoon. Yeah, I'll just stick to butter, thank you. | |
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| | #16 (permalink) |
| Family Member Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,460
| It seems like this forum is filled with posters like that, or people who just post ten or less messages to the less-interesting threads. Sometimes it seems like it's deliberate, as a way to push down the threads that ARE interesting and have good information, to the second and third pages, out of sight.
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| Family Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: N.E. Wisconsin
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| | #18 (permalink) | |
| Family Member Join Date: Jan 2009
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| | #19 (permalink) | |
| Retired Join Date: Nov 2010
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| | #20 (permalink) | |
| Family Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: N.E. Wisconsin
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Here's another thing that happens. Sometimes a new person starts posting stuff that's pointless, and we keep an eye on that person because it's spam waiting to happen, and then the posts just stop. Like this person was planning on spamming and never got around to it. | |
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| | #21 (permalink) | ||
| Family Member Join Date: Jan 2009
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