We've missed the boat...the gravy boat.
So, I was at the gym today reading a magazine, and I know this topic has actually been in the news lately...Trans fats and restaurants. Especially in New York City.
There's been publicity about the desire, perhaps even requirements to get trans-fats out of all restaurant foods, or at least this information must be disclosed to the patron.
While this is great news and all, you know, "power = knowledge," and by removing trans-fats from foods you remove the atherosclerotic-inducing deleterious food-substance from the food supply. A "mal-nutrient" which raises LDL cholesterol, the Lousy unhealthy cholesterol, while lowering HDL cholesterol, the healthy cholesterol which is actually beneficial for heart health.
Yet, I am far more concerned that the "true" boat has been clearly missed, and it is sinking.
Rather than submit that these restaurants improve the overall health of the food they produce, they are merely substituting a different fat-source for the trans-fat source.
Sometimes, it is with a healthier fat source such as monounsaturated fats like olive oil or canola oil. Or sometimes to preserve the overall "texture" of the food, it must be replaced a fat source that is nearly as bad as trans-fats, such as the highly saturated palm-kernal oil, or an animal fat, schmaltz for you chicken-lovers out there, lard for your porcine lovers.
The real "heart" of the matter (pun intended) is that overweight and obesity, caused by ingestion of TOO MANY CALORIES is the real problem.
So, while I applaud the desire to rid the food supply of heart-damaging trans-fats, the real heresy is that the real problem is just being brushed off. People will still be eating just as many calories, just as much sodium, just as many calories as previously, and so, the issue that really needs to be addressed is portion sizing, pricing, and overall meal-planning.
Restaurants would be helping their bottom line, and the customer by making smaller portion sizes, using less salt, more herbs and spices, only healthy oils, and providing nutrition information to the consumer.
It would likewise, benefit the consumer to demand that only the best ingredients be used, and that they have access to healthy delicious and nutritious fare.
Again, it's time we stop sitting back, get up, get active, demand change, one that can help you.
There's been publicity about the desire, perhaps even requirements to get trans-fats out of all restaurant foods, or at least this information must be disclosed to the patron.
While this is great news and all, you know, "power = knowledge," and by removing trans-fats from foods you remove the atherosclerotic-inducing deleterious food-substance from the food supply. A "mal-nutrient" which raises LDL cholesterol, the Lousy unhealthy cholesterol, while lowering HDL cholesterol, the healthy cholesterol which is actually beneficial for heart health.
Yet, I am far more concerned that the "true" boat has been clearly missed, and it is sinking.
Rather than submit that these restaurants improve the overall health of the food they produce, they are merely substituting a different fat-source for the trans-fat source.
Sometimes, it is with a healthier fat source such as monounsaturated fats like olive oil or canola oil. Or sometimes to preserve the overall "texture" of the food, it must be replaced a fat source that is nearly as bad as trans-fats, such as the highly saturated palm-kernal oil, or an animal fat, schmaltz for you chicken-lovers out there, lard for your porcine lovers.
The real "heart" of the matter (pun intended) is that overweight and obesity, caused by ingestion of TOO MANY CALORIES is the real problem.
So, while I applaud the desire to rid the food supply of heart-damaging trans-fats, the real heresy is that the real problem is just being brushed off. People will still be eating just as many calories, just as much sodium, just as many calories as previously, and so, the issue that really needs to be addressed is portion sizing, pricing, and overall meal-planning.
Restaurants would be helping their bottom line, and the customer by making smaller portion sizes, using less salt, more herbs and spices, only healthy oils, and providing nutrition information to the consumer.
It would likewise, benefit the consumer to demand that only the best ingredients be used, and that they have access to healthy delicious and nutritious fare.
Again, it's time we stop sitting back, get up, get active, demand change, one that can help you.
posted by Dana M. Ellis, MPH, R.D. @ 6:09 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home