Hydrogenated vegetable oils are dangerous

[MargaretR]

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...em-843400.html

Deadly transfats (hydrogenated vegetable oil) is banned in some countries but still allowed in ours.
Read the labels on the food you buy.

extract-
Yet, despite the dangers, many major UK food producers continue to use it in everyday products. Brands that include it in their manufacture include Cadbury Heroes, some Nestlé and Mars confectionery, Batchelors Cup a Soups and even Haliborange Omega-3 Fish Oil capsules for children, Quality Street chocolates and Angel Delight dessert; Horlicks instant night-time drink and Knorr stock cubes.
Nor is its use confined to retail food goods. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, or trans-fat, as it is sometimes called, is also widely used in bakery products, and by restaurants and takeaways, where it usually does not have to be labelled and declared as being present.

Denmark, where legislation removing HVO from the food chain was introduced five years ago. Since then, the rate of heart disease among Danes has dropped by a staggering 40 per cent

[Benipete]

Well I'm in the clear,checked every can in the fridge.But on a more serious note a lot of what I have bought have labels that clearly state that there are no(hydrogenated fats) I must admit though it was more luck than judgement.Thanks for the info.Will keep a look out with my good eye.

[entwisi]

a lot of compamies are removing then, IIRC Mars have committed to do it asap.

Funnily enough the thing that brought it to my attention ~ 5 years ago was the Atkins diet as it was one of the key things to avoid.
Whilst most people didn't understand the atkins diet because they only ever repeated hearsay or even worse came from a totally sensationalistic mis-report the underlying principle was stop eating all this man-made-modified crap and get back to what nature does itself.

[derekgas]

As it has become very obvious of late that big companies care only about money, (many small companies also), it does not surprise me in the slightest, I am fast coming to the conclusion that the big guns are just rip off merchants, I know for certain that most of the companies in my field of work are, the good news is, that people are at long last beginning to realise it.

[Mazonline]

It is really scary what is put into foods now - I am sure I am not the only one that gets confused with the labelling. Was unsure what is a good fat and what is a bad fat but good site to look at is www.omega4.co.uk.

[MargaretR]

I have avoided buying mass produced cakes, biscuits and pastry for a while now, but people who work don't have the time to do home baking.

What was news to me in this article was the fact that some chip shops use it because it doesn't need changing as often.

I hope that more publicity will result in a ban in the whole EU.

The heart disease rate will drop - they will give the credit for that to the smoking ban - but if lives are saved who cares what takes the credit

[jaysay]

I don't eat a lot of tin stuff anyway, and have never been into a lot of cakes and biscuits, M other have bakes a lot, she has to because she is coaliac and can't eat anything from the bakers, or anything containing glutton, and there ain't much of that in fresh produce, and its rubbed off on me

[shillelagh]

If it just says vegetable oil on the ingredients .... is that it or is it ok?

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

If it just says vegetable oil on the ingredients .... is that it or is it ok?

Vegetable oil is fine if it hasn't been hydrogenated.
It may be the manufacturer's way to mislead you, by not saying it has been.
When hydrogenated, such oils become semi solid and are used in margarines and spreads.
What food item is it listed on?

[shillelagh]

a variety thats in my fridge at the minute .....

mayonnaise, sandwich filler, garlic sauce, thats just what i looked at ....

ive got a docs appointment in half an hour so not got time to look in the cupboard

[emzy]

Biscuits are bad for containing hydrogenated fats (well at least they were a year or two ago, i dont buy them as much anymore)

[MargaretR]

Mayonnaise is a slow blend of oil and egg (when home made) so that one is prob OK
The sandwich filler might be suspicious - if it has the appearance of margarine (as a cheese spread would,) -so it depends on the type of spread.
Garlic sauce, if the 'runny' type will be fine.

When I said these transfats are dangerous - I did't mean you to treat them as poison.
They do increase bad cholesterol and take many days to exit your system.
It is the frequency and volume of the intake which increases the risk, so it is better not to eat any of them at all - especially since they have no nutritional value whatsoever

[entwisi]

shop bought mayo is usually full of stuff other than oil and egg

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by entwisi

shop bought mayo is usually full of stuff other than oil and egg

It may well be that some brands of Mayonnaise have transfats
I have just examined the label on a jar of Helmann's, and am pleased to find that the types of fat in it are described and listed, and none are hydrogenated

[WillowTheWhisp]

It is becoming more an more difficult to avoid eating something that isn't good for us. I would like to get back to a simpler way of life with more fresh food and less processed stuff.