The Hoov asked me my opinion on the NYC Health Dept's ban on transfats in bakeries or eateries (which also included a provision that requires all quick eateries to list caloric count.) These are both pretty big moves that will (barring legal challenges) have a ripple effect throughout the country fairly quickly.
A decade ago, New York was one of the first to aggressively challenge the social acceptance of smoking in restaurants and bars, so I don't think it's any surprise that they're taking on transfats. Basically, a transfat is a chemically modified substitute for saturated fats. They're cheaper, more shelf-stable, and were found in something like 90% of all processed food products. Imagine, 90% of the stuff you bought at the grocery store that was ready-to-eat or close to that, had this crap in it. For the last few years, the industry has seen processed foods trying to get away from transfats, as they now have to be labeled and we understand them more.
Transfats, for reasons I don't completely understand, lower good cholesterol and raise the bad stuff. Now, we're talking unhealthy stuff, but consider that this junk is in a lot of products that also have High Fructose Corn Syrup and we start talking big health issues.
It's not that American's are hitting the mashed potatoes for a second helping that's causing this obesity problem. As we've chemically modified the fruits of the earth for the last 50-100 years, I believe, and I think science agrees, we've really jacked this stuff up.
Now, this is not to say this isn't a contentious decision. Costs will rise significantly as more expensive frying oils will have to be used and butter (already freaking expensive) will replace margarine and other transfat oils. We're talking about serious money here, and the consumer is going to be paying for it.
I'm not going to lie, sitting in a pub in New York City is a very enjoyable experience because you're not sucking down the equivalent of 100 cigarettes of second-hand smoke. I think the transfats issue will follow the same way. It's going to piss off some, but the common good is undeniable.
Comments
i've been watching this lately. interesting stuff. i've been on a big anti hydrogenated and partially hydogenated anything and definitely anti high fructose corn syurp kick lately. it can be damn hard trying to find foods without them in it, but if you go to the right places, it's not too bad. i've become a trader joe's junky - it's a grocery store that deals mainly with the health end of things. lots of in house products and everything is preservative, additive and chemical free. some of it sucks, but most is pretty good. plus, i've lost some lb's while at it. i guess the big city has it's advantages in having stores like this one.
Posted by: yab at December 7, 2006 04:04 PM
trader joe's is great because the stuff they make is top-quality and cheap. i know quite a few people who will drive over into Connecticut to the nearest to buy their chicken broth. it's a good stock substitute and is almost cheaper and better quality that what you can make at home.
i've always been really impressed with trader joes. it's like a whole foods, wal-mart style.
Posted by: regan at December 7, 2006 04:44 PM
Maybe New York should start by banning the use of green onions, i.e., work on real health hazards like e coli.
Posted by: herb Wright at December 7, 2006 09:44 PM
Finally. Doesn't it seem illogical to assume that the more we chemically modify things, the more good we will do?
I get so frustrated with modern society's attempt to chemically fix all of the world's problems. IT ISN'T WORKING!!
Posted by: elise at December 8, 2006 06:23 PM