Banning Trans Fat: Since the Agricultural Revolution, people have been using nature as the basis for the creation of artificial foods. At the dawn of the Tech Age and in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, technology has enhanced our ability to do this, allowing us to create new industrially processed foods. With this power, also comes the responsibility and challenge of keeping a healthy diet. This challenge is a monumental one, as poor diet and inadequate physical activity together account for at least 300,000 deaths in the United States annually. One example of an industrial food source which has challenged our ability to keep a healthy diet in the twenty-first century is trans fat. Despite its health risks, trans fat possesses
America is experiencing an increasing problem with obesity that arose from numerous factors such as sugary processed foods, larger portion sizes, and lack of physical activity that lead to detrimental results like preventable diseases that lead to death. In order to stop this rising epidemic, it will take national effort to educate the public and to offer fetter food alternatives in schools and in grocery stores.
The process of creating trans fat originated from the 1890s in France when chemist Paul Sabatier discovered that metal catalysts could precipitate hydrogenic reactions. This led to German chemist Wilhelm Normanns’ 1901 experimentation with hydrogenation catalysts that successfully led to the hydrogenation of liquid fat which produced semi solid fat that is now known as trans-fat. This process was adopted by many food manufacturers because of its ability to stabilize the shelf life of products it is in. With the production and use of trans fat comes some serious health risks. In the 1950s it was found that there is a clear connection between the intake of saturated fats and heart disease. After this was found there was some opposing studies that proved fats were healthy. By the 1980s it was established that a high intake of saturated fat led to a higher risk for heart problems. Because of this trans fats were used to replace saturated fats, but it was later found that trans fat held a higher risk for heart problems than saturated fats did (“Trans Fat”). Once people discovered this, a demand for healthy alternatives began and is still prevalent today.
In addition, plenty advertisements include models that are beyond well in shape while eating the fatty products. What’s not contained in these commercials is that these models do not typically eat these unwholesome foods everyday, and even if they do eat it, they are very likely to exercise constantly for a considerable amount of time. These publications of models with great bodies eating unhealthy food is so popular that it may have twisted the Americans’ thinking of foods that may become deadly in the long
Many would like to point out that processed foods still contain vitamins, but truthfully they do not provide the quality, or quantity of nutrition gained from eating whole foods. Processed foods, in addition, commonly contain massive amounts of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, sugar, and hydrogenated oils. The sugars and sodium levels in these foods sometimes surpass the daily recommended allowance. These monstrous additives can cause allergic reactions or even eventually degenerative diseases (Health Teacher). Not all is lost in today’s fast food society; there is an alternative that can prevent our bodies from being overtaken by food imposters. Whole food wins the battle when making the body happy and protecting the bank.
Restaurants are an important source of daily food intake for New York City residents. An estimated one third of daily consumption comes from foods purchased from restaurants. Assuring healthy dining options is a public health concern. The public health concern this health policy aims to address is the presence of trans fat in foods served in restaurants. The presence of trans fat in foods creates a dangerous and yet preventable health risk to restaurant goers (2).
Every second we lose someone to a one of the most dangerous killers in America; obesity. To tackle our obsession with food, it has been proposed that our government should start to regulate the type and amount of food we eat. This has received shock waves of controversy from our US citizens to whether or not it's even constitutional to set regulations on such items. Sadly, this unnatural obsession with sugar, salt, and fat has landed us on the list of one of the fattest countries in the world. These bans and regulations might cause us to lose a very small bit of our constitutional freedom, but based on the proposals, the health of our country is well worth it.
Trans-fat was created in industrial laboratories and hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, which makes it solid at room temperature. This causes processed foods to survive longer than natural food as it spoils quicker than a food that has trans-fat in it. Cakes, cookies, frosting, popcorn, French fries, doughnuts, Cisco and margarine are all trans-fat and foods Americans eat constantly everyday. All these foods are what raises our LDL and lowers our HDL, which also causes diabetes.
Due to being on a high fat, high-calorie diet because of my Cystic FIbrosis gaining weight has been a hightlight in my life, to help me achieve this goal of gaining weight my dad bet me that if I gained ten pounds in one appointment he would give me one hundred dollars. Seven years after making that bet I hopped on the scale at the Children's Hospital and as the numbers ticked on I knew this would be the day, this would be the appointment then there was a screeched. As the doctor came in automatically I screamed so excitedly, "I gained ten pounds! I finally beat the ten pounds! Ha!" Knowing this would be the day and indeed, it finally was. As I talked to my dietician I truly had the realization that I achieved my life long health goal, I achieved
The FDA is moving in a direction of the food industry that they don’t need to regulate. The FDA is moving its mission as established by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938, heritage Foundation research fellow Daren Bakst writes “into novel areas that are unrelated to the food-safety issues that the law is designed to regulate, it would do so by regulating nutrition and diet through limiting food choices.” What the FDA is doing is combining nutritional and dietary well-being with safety and this doesn't work. Something such as an ingredient that causes health problems is one thing for the FDA to address seeing that it is in their job descriptions. Consumers can take control of their own diet and their trans fat consumption. The FDA
Diseases like diabetes and heart attacks have increased due to the over consumption of processed fats and animal products. The average American consumes more than enough protein and not enough essential fatty acids to balance
There are many trans fats in the foods that seem healthy that is why people should watch what they eat and take care of their bodies as much as they can. One might not know this, but trans fats are formed when oils that are liquid at room temperature are mixed with hydrogen and become solid fats. People will not be able to notice when they are consuming these trans fats because they have a taste and texture that many consumers find desirable. Trans fats can raise our level of “bad” cholesterol while also lowering our “good” cholesterol levels which can contribute to heart disease. These can also lead to a numerous amount of health problems requiring medical
Kaplan from the New York Times says, “Trans fat are made by adding hydrogen to liquid oil, which turns it into a solid, like margarine or Crisco.” It also doesn’t cost very much, which is why food manufacturers use it so much. Trans fats come from animal products like milk and meat. The FDA says that it’s synthesized in the guts of grazing animals. Although trans fats are a natural component it increases risk of various bad health conditions like; coronary heart disease, angina, and heart attacks. They’ve even been labeled as, “the most harmful fat of all” by the CSPI, a nonprofit advocacy group that petitioned for the FDA to require labeling it (Kaplan). Trans fats can affect your health if you consume too
Trans fat are the worst type of fat for any human to consume. The way you can tell the difference between trans fat and good fat(polyunsaturated, monounsaturated) is trans fat are solid at room temperature. For example if you leave bacon grease out overnight in a bowl it will be solid the next morning. Good fats are liquid at room temperature, such as vegetable oil. For every gram of trans fat you consume there is 9 calories in it. A daily intake of trans fat should be about 2 grams on a 2000 calorie based diet. That means you should only be getting about 18 calories from trans fat. Consuming a lot of trans fat increases the amount of harmful cholesterol located in the bloodstream. Trans fat are more likely to be at a higher level in places with
Our changing life style has brought us to a world where food is fast and has high fat content. Lack of movement and the sedentary life style has contributed
With the state of unhealthy foods in the United States, where it is easily available to get "fatty" foods rather than the opposite, the obesity rates have gone up. The obesity epidemic has gone from an inconvenience to a soon-to-be problem. "In 2010, about 35.7% of U.S. adults — nearly 78 million people — were obese. That’s up from 30.5% in 2000, but not much of a difference from 33.7% in 2008" (Healthland.time.com). With the steady