Hidden facts and hidden meanings

I have frequently cautioned people about misleading terminology on ingredient labels, citing as an example the use of the term 'vegetable oil shortening' instead of 'hydrogenated vegetable oil'. The problem is that the process that gives us shortening (or hydrogenated oil) also produces trans fatty acids (I do know that trans should be italicized, but when I click on the icon for italics what appears is ; being a techno-dope, I have no idea what this means)...so please assume that whenever you see the word 'trans', it's in italics! The problem with trans fatty acids, as I'm sure you've read elsewhere, is that they cause an increase in the 'bad' cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and a decrease in the 'good' cholesterol (HDL). This is a double-whammy effect that spells trouble for the heart.

Shortenings and hard margarines (even some soft ones) are made the same way: hydrogen molecules are added to liquid oils in order to change them into semi-solids. They're partially hydrogenated because if they were fully hydrogenated they'd be as hard as bullets. Partially hydrogenated oils like margarine and shortening were once considered desirable because they have a consistency like butter, yet contain few saturated fatty acids. In addition, they keep longer than liquid oils (which are more readily oxidized and develop rancidity) and add texture to baked goods. In fact, for many people, the biggest source of trans fatty acids has been cakes, cookies and crackers made with margarine or shortening. Trans fatty acids are also present in french fries, fish sticks and deep-fried foods. Now we have labels that will identify the trans fat content of foods bought in the supermarket, but in a restaurant, you're pretty much on your own.

So what's the problem? The problem is that we're wallowing in trans fatty acids--not just the margarine and shortening you use in your own cooking and baking, but the stuff that you eat in restaurants. If you look in your cupboard and check the ingredient list on your crackers and cookies, except for the ones that brag 'no trans fats', I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts (another source of trans fatty acids) that the second ingredient is vegetable oil shortening, or hydrogenated vegetable oil. Adding insult to injury, in cases where the trans fats have been taken out, they've been replaced with high omega-6 vegetable oils.

Next time you're in a mall at a food kiosk, have a look at what's on people's trays. Nine times out of ten, there'll be something deep-fried: chicken, pastries, french fries and the like. There's nothing wrong with the occasional consumption of these foods, but many people have them on a daily basis and, irony of ironies, the beverage that accompanies them is usually a diet drink.

On a related issue I recently came across another bit of nutritional chicanery. Picking up a box of ready-to-eat cereal (just add water), I glanced, as I normally do, at the ingredient list. Right after 'organic oat flakes' came organic 'unrefined evaporated cane juice'. Now what do you suppose evaporated cane juice is? Near as I can figure, it must be sugar. They just don't want to call it that. Leaving aside my feelings about so-called organic packaged goods, I find it offensive in the extreme that a manufacturer should try and disguise what's in their product. There's nothing wrong with a bit of sugar added to a food to make it taste better; plain old oats just don't go down that easily. But for goodness sake, let's call it what it is. Just call a spade a spade!