Fat is a very vital nutrient we need in our bodies, one we cannot live without. With that being said there are good fats and bad fats. Trans fats being one of the worst. This type of fat hides in all different kinds of foods we eat today from cookies, pizzas, to popcorn. “Eating trans-fat raises the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol in the blood. An elevated LDL blood cholesterol level can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.” So fortunately for us the FDA has finally took action that will significantly reduce the use Trans fats in the food supply. In an article written on June 16, 2015 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, states that through the examination of scientific evidence they have …show more content…
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men, and women in the United States. Not saying this would completely change that, but it could mean a huge difference. Decreasing these fats would prevent thousands of heart attacks and deaths each year. This could also help economically by savings on medical care, but like I said, time will tell on that one. In my opinion I am glad this is finally happening. Even with the three year period, I think more people are becoming aware of these “bad fats.” However, in the article, the FDA also says “It’s important to note that trans-fat will not be completely gone from foods because it occurs naturally in small amounts in meat and dairy products” they also say “even foods labeled with “0” grams trans-fat may contain small amounts (less than one-half a gram per serving) of PHOs.” So always ready labels, these “small” amounts add up over time. In conclusion, this is a major step for public health. The American Heart Association called the new regulations a "historic victory for the nation's health." While I believe that the state and local governments have done a good job trying better educate and increase the awareness of certain fats or foods. Many people have no clue what they are eating, and really just don’t care. I guess you can’t help everyone, but this is a great
It is suggested that trans-fats affect cardiovascular disease and may cause diabetes, cancer, allergies and other diseases because trans-fats affect changes in cholesterol levels.
One reason is that it can prevent obesity. In “should the government regulate what we eat and drink” Bert Glass explains how “advocates that support the ban on trans fat are quick to point out the negative health effects of consuming food prepared with the banned item. He also states that, “trans fats can raise our level of “bad” cholesterol while also lowering our “good” cholesterol levels, both of which contribute to heart disease. In the text Bert gives an example of what trans fat can do and how it can affect our body. He also talks about how trans fat can contribute to heart disease which is a disease nobody wants to get.
This point of view makes sense because as stated by Bert Glass on “Should the Government Regulate What We Eat?” that “while it is easy enough to view the ban on trans fats as an isolated incident, such a ban ultimately puts the American values of freedom and individualism in jeopardy.” Resulting that America wouldn’t be a democratic country anymore which freedom of speech still exists. Therefore, Americans wouldn’t be able to choose what they want on a daily basis. However, for the safety of everyone, this regulation should be
For decades we were lead to believe that all fats, no matter where they came from, where the work of the devil and if we wanted to stay trim and healthy, we should eliminate all forms of fat from our diets and follow a low-calorie, virtually fat-free diet on a regular basis. Time went by, researchers conducted various, well, research, and discovered that perhaps SOME fats were ok.
Trans-Fats are a type of unsaturated fat that occur in nature, margarine, snack foods, packaged baked goods, and fried fast food. There are two main types of trans-fats, Naturally occurring and Artificial. Naturally occurring trans-fats mostly come from animals. These Trans-fats are produced in the gut of animals. When those animals are produced into foods, the new foods have contracted the trans-fats that were produced. Artificial trans-fats are created in an industrialized process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetables oils to make them more solid. Either way you can find trans-fats in most processed foods and naturally in meat and dairy products
The FDA is doing this because of the bad implications trans-fat can have on a person’s health and they want to help improve it. The FDA in 2013 declared that trans-fat is no longer “generally recognized as safe.” That is scary to think about, considering how widely trans-fats are being used and how long we as a population have been consuming them. According to FDA.gov, trans-fat can build up the amount of plaque in arteries and increase someone’s risk for coronary heart disease. According to Reuters.com, the FDA mentions that “reducing the use of trans-fats could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease a
This is a definite win for the health of Americans, because trans fats have been proven to raise bad cholesterol, known as LDL, and lower good cholesterol, known as HDL. These are the factors that contribute to the risk of developing heart disease, as well as Type 2 diabetes.
Recently the federal government passed a law that, “requires restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets to disclose calorie counts on their food items and supply information on how many calories a healthy person should eat in a day” (Rosenbloom). By doing this it is helping to expose the nutritional information allowing the American people to be aware of what they are eating; if it is healthy or unhealthy. Many wonder if people make good decisions when it comes to which food choices they consume. People who support this new federal law believe that, “even if menu labeling does not inspire consumers to eat better, they should be told what they are putting in their mouths” (Rosenbloom). Even though the menu items are labeled it does not matter to those people that overlook it, because those people consume it
So, therefore, some claim that the only acceptable method to regulated food with labels. Besides “Obesity is a serious health problem, but government regulation is not the way to solve it.” (Marlow, Abdukadirov 2015). “Government paternalism is a flawed approach that relies on interventions that have poor checks and balances for their effectiveness.” (Marlow,
In our country, we have been faced with growing health issues and problems. Some of the problems that we have been facing include: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. A big question that most people have is “Where do these health issues come from?” Its simple, have you ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat?” Well basically that is true. Most food industries had decided to cut out fat in foods so that it wouldn’t be “fattening.” Well, when you take out the fat in foods, it doesn’t taste very good. So in order to keep the sweet flavor in foods, other harmful chemicals and artificial flavoring and sweeteners have been added to foods so that people will continue to buy their products. The food industry in the U.S. in 2014 is worth approximately $5.27 trillion dollars and is on the rise towards $6 trillion dollars. According to the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, the average expenditure for a low-cost meal plan for a
The same research also discovered that these customers, on average, consume 400 calories fewer than they did without their meal's nutritional information. That means that out of the 33% of Americans that consume their calories away from home, 8% of those people will, on average, consume 400 calories less than what they did before. In other words, 8% of Americans will start to live a healthier lifestyle. It may not be what the number we hoped for, but it's a start. There may be one countermeasure to this otherwise incredible idea. Food labeling menu choices could become a nuisance to restaurants. Most of the time, restaurants use ingredients that have a high fat content in their recipes. If food labeling were to become a law, menu choices would have to be replaced with healthier options. That would take time and possibly decrease a restaurant's business. However, this would only be a temporary. As soon as restaurants start serving healthier options, business would boom, and people will become healthier. The governments goal would be
In the United State of America, fast food is the king of foods. In our daily lives, we are so busy that we resort to purchasing food that is not too healthy. Fast-food restaurants like McDonalds, sell products that are enriched with trans fats. An issue with trans fats, they have been proven to cause health concerns. However, According to sciencedaily.com, an Alberta researcher Flora Wang stated not all trans fats are bad for you. As a matter a fact, certain trans fats are actually good for your body. Flora Wang promoted that trans vaccenic acid, which is found in trans fat, help the body by decrease the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. After reading the article, I found that Flora did not move her research past rats and never
Eating too much fat can cause health problems. But even in moderation, some fats are healthier than others. Now studies suggest that synthetic trans fats a type made by adding extra hydrogen atoms to the chain-like molecules of vegetable oil can act like a dietary villain. Doctors once thought trans fats might be better for health than those found in meats and dairy. And because trans fats are cheap, food companies were eager to substitute them in foods. Scientists slowly began to realize that artificial trans fats were no healthier than butter or other animal fats. They might even actually be worse for health. Fats help create a fluffy pastry and moist taste. Until in the early 1900s those fats usually came from animals. All fats are made
Research has shown that the consumption of trans-fatty acids causes an increase in blood levels of inflammatory markers, which means they are foods that create inflammation in the arteries and blood vessels. This is a cause of age-related heart diseases like atherosclerosis. There is also a link between consumption of trans-fatty acids and various kinds of cancer.
In “the government regulates what we eat” they talk about some of the laws across the country. It stated “eliminate the arty clogging fat”. Meaning the fat used to fry most foods. Which then become harmful when not eaten in moderation. We should worry about people who eat out every five seconds instead of big gulps. That would really help the fight with obesity. We should promote eating healthier by making it more affordable. Why should we pay an arm and a leg for foods we need to eat more of. When Trans fats are so cheap we lean to that more.