hydrogenated oils

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TXHunny84
TXHunny84 Posts: 503 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've read about how bad hydrogenated oils are and how they're used in almost everything to preserve shelf life. I've also heard that they make it a lot harder to lose weight. I've heard in Europe they're illegal to use because they're so bad for you. They're only one molecule away from being plastic!! So why on Earth does the USA put it in nearly everything?! grrrr Do they want us to be sick and fat?...

If you don't know what hydrogenated oils are here are some links

http://www.naturalnews.com/024694_oil_food_oils.html


http://www.livestrong.com/article/272066-why-is-hydrogenated-oil-bad-for-you/

Replies

  • Jindra12
    Jindra12 Posts: 256 Member
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    The blame is placed against FDA and customers of those products (they want foods at very low cost).
  • natachan
    natachan Posts: 149
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    Joke answer: because the radical vegetarians pressured them to do it.

    Serious answer: Corn oil especially is VERY cheap. Since our government subsidizes corn it's artificially cheap. Plus the USDA pushes agricultural products like corn and soy. So it's cheap to use, and the government here has been pushing it.
  • shanoops
    shanoops Posts: 7
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    My biology teacher gave us a lecture on hydrogenated oils last semester. They're not one molecule away from plastic (that's a legend), but they are pretty terrible for you. They're made by altering the molecular structure of fats so that they because shelf stable and hard when stored at room temperature. He said that the theory behind their negative health effects is that our bodies don't process them in the same way they process healthy fats, so we don't feel satisfied by them and continue to eat extra calories. They're getting easier to avoid in the US though, just look for foods that are labeled 'transfat free", and avoid margarine and crisco. It's better to eat a moderate amount of natural fat.
  • TXHunny84
    TXHunny84 Posts: 503 Member
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    My biology teacher gave us a lecture on hydrogenated oils last semester. They're not one molecule away from plastic (that's a legend), but they are pretty terrible for you. They're made by altering the molecular structure of fats so that they because shelf stable and hard when stored at room temperature. He said that the theory behind their negative health effects is that our bodies don't process them in the same way they process healthy fats, so we don't feel satisfied by them and continue to eat extra calories. They're getting easier to avoid in the US though, just look for foods that are labeled 'transfat free", and avoid margarine and crisco. It's better to eat a moderate amount of natural fat.

    Even if the label says trans-fat free it doesn't mean that there still isn't trans fats in it.... Sadly. If there is less that .05 trans fats per serving then the label can say it's has no transfats when there really is. So sit down and eat a few servings of whatever and you could still be eating transfats.
  • shanoops
    shanoops Posts: 7
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    True. Alternatively, you could check for partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list, which is generally what I do. Well, that and try to avoid processed foods.

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