Fan of Trans Fat Ban: Whoever said government was good for nothing?

I’m pleased to report to you that finally, after years of the health world knowing just how bad trans fats are for human consumption, a state in the union has decided to ban their use from any and all restaurants that are within its borders. What proactive state do I speak of? The one and only Golden State, California.

The fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger, something of a health nut himself, serves as the state’s governor certainly helped get this measure passed; as most of us know, Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilder for many years before becoming a world-renowned actor and later politician. But the California House of Representatives and Senate deserve a round of applause for coming together in a bi-partisan fashion to bring to the “governator” a measure that finally gets rid of an oil that lead to an estimated 50,000 premature heart attacks every year.

The fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger, something of a health nut himself, serves as the state’s governor certainly helped get this measure passed; as most of us know, Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilder for many years before becoming a world-renowned actor and later politician. But the California House of Representatives and Senate deserve a round of applause for coming together in a bi-partisan fashion to bring to the “governator” a measure that finally gets rid of an oil that lead to an estimated 50,000 premature heart attacks every year.

Unlike other fats, which the body needs for cell repair, maintenance and energy, trans fats have no nutritional value whatsoever. But because trans fats are a great thing for food manufacturers to use in their products, as they extend the shelf life of foods so people have more time to eat them without fear of spoilage, they have remained in the food supply since their introduction in the early 20th century. As early as the 1980s, trans fats were believed to be contributing to coronary heart disease – a disease that’s responsible for 500,000 deaths each year. Many restaurants have recognized this troublesome trend, and have instituted trans fat bans of their own (including Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken). Hopefully, other restaurants – be them family-friendly, fast food or upscale – will follow these trend setters.

In the meantime, you can institute trans fat “bans” of your own in your home. Lots of products on the market today have trans fats in them. For instance, approximately 40 percent of snacking products have trans fats, such as crackers, cakes, cookies and white breads. Another top offender animal products such as whole milk, organ meats like liver and kidney, and beef products like hamburg and various cuts of steak. Surprisingly, butter does not have trans fat, but margarine – one of the worst things you can eat – does.

Today, it’s a requirement that food manufacturers print along side the other nutritional facts the trans fat content. While most companies have cut back on their trans fat content, if the number fall beneath a certain threshold, they can list their product as having no trans fat (when in fact it does have trans fat, but in trace or lesser amounts). No amount of trans fat is good, so be weary of those products that claim they have no trans fat. A tell-tale sign indicating they do is by looking at the products’ list of ingredients. If you find anything with the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” dollars to donuts (another trans fat-laden product, as you might have guessed) the product contains trans fat.

Sure, the government can be a frustrating institution, but it’s nice to see state governments like California being proactive in ridding their communities of a truly deadly ingredient. Let’s hope the 49 other states follow suit, and soon.