New York City Bans Trans Fats from Restaurants

[JohnRich 4]

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There is no reason to keep them unless your a crap food producing company and you want to maintain your products shelf life...

So a trans-fat ban would increase spoilage, and therefore increase food prices. And therefore, the poor would have to eat even less than what little they can afford to eat now. If you can just barely afford to feed the kids now, worrying about what's going to happen to them 30 years later from trans-fat is kind of irrelevant.

[JohnRich 4]

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2-eggs, fried in bacon grease, biscuits and gravy with bacon IS pretty good!

Yep, today they come for your trans-fats.
And tomorrow they'll come for your bacon and eggs...
...when they pry them from my cold dead hands!

They'll have us all eating soy oatmeal for breakfast. Blech!

I take the individual freedom point of view here. If they want to require labeling to show how much trans-fat is in a product, fine. If they want to educate the public about the problems of trans-fats, fine. But then they should butt out and let us decide for ourselves what to choose. Likewise, restaurants and food producers should also be free to produce their products the way they want. Let the capitalistic free market decide which one wins. If it becomes non-profitable to produce goods with trans-fats, then they'll switch to something else.

[Royd 0]

I hope that canola oil isn't a trans fat. I just got done devouring a plate of fried eggplant, bell peppers, and green beans. Damn, they were good!

[JohnRich 4]

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a lot of individuals seems to unable to make a correct decision for themselves. Just look on the obesity rate around the country.

I do not believe that banning trans-fats is going to make obese people suddenly start losing weight and becoming slim and trim. No, they're going to keep eating too much, and exercising too little. Whether what they eat has trans-fats in it or not is irrelevant. Obesity is a behavior problem.

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Third, I doubt you can find a fast food reustarant, which does not use trans fat. And if you willing to go to a fast food, but do not want to eat trans fat - even if it obviously will cost more - you are on your own

Yep, let the market decide. If you don't want to eat it, don't. Those that do, should have that choice. I don't want the government taking away choices.

Another thought: Is there going to be a platoon of "food police" running around New York conducting surprise raids on restaurants to search for illegal trans-fats?

"Freeze! Drop that donut! Put your hands on top of your head!"

[rickjump1 0]

My wife made eggplant spaghetti tonight sauteing onions and garlic with olive oil. Good stuff.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[masterrig 1]

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2-eggs, fried in bacon grease, biscuits and gravy with bacon IS pretty good!

Yep, today they come for your trans-fats.
And tomorrow they'll come for your bacon and eggs...
...when they pry them from my cold dead hands!

They'll have us all eating soy oatmeal for breakfast. Blech!

I take the individual freedom point of view here. If they want to require labeling to show how much trans-fat is in a product, fine. If they want to educate the public about the problems of trans-fats, fine. But then they should butt out and let us decide for ourselves what to choose. Likewise, restaurants and food producers should also be free to produce their products the way they want. Let the capitalistic free market decide which one wins. If it becomes non-profitable to produce goods with trans-fats, then they'll switch to something else.

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Why, can't restaurants give you a choice? "Would you like your fries cooked in canola oil, corn oil, peanut oil or lard?" It's all about choices.
I'm not so sure, I'd want to give food producers that much leeway. I think, we'd be back to 'The Jungle". I'm sure, food producers get away with enough as it is... even with the 'restrictions' on them.


Chuck

[kittikat 0]

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I hope that canola oil isn't a trans fat. I just got done devouring a plate of fried eggplant, bell peppers, and green beans. Damn, they were good!

Canola oil and all vegetable oils are not trans fats. Trans fat is a modified oil, man made, although very small quantities occur in cows, sheep and goats I believe. In the oil, it is a double bond between carbons that makes vegetable and fish based oils liquid at room temperature. Typically any that are liquid at room temperature are healthy for you.

Animal fats (like bacon grease) are solid at room temp, because they have no double bond. Trans fat were first made because of products like margarine - since plant based oil is much healthier, they were making a healthier alternative to butter but no one wanted liquid oil to spread on their bread! They took the vegetable oil and altered it, so that instead of a cis double bond that occurs naturally, it is a trans double bond. The cis double bond gives the lipid structure a kind of kink in the tail, so it doesn't stack very easily, hence the liquid at room temperature. The trans fat does not have this kink, so it is solid at room temp. For a while, before any studies were done, it was advertised as a much healthier alternative to butter.

Other than trace amounts found in cows etc. trans fats are all man made, processed oil. Our bodies have never had to deal with this before, and so we cannot break it down. This is why they are so unhealthy - they do not occur in nature, and so our bodies pretty much can only deposit them as fat. Now experts say that no amount of trans fat is healthy.

Because of this, I don't see the ban as telling people what they can and can't eat, or as insulting to one's intelligence. It seems they are fixing a screw up, kind of like getting rid of DDT or banning chlorofluorocarbons.

[Royd 0]

hope that canola oil isn't a trans fat. I just got done devouring a plate of fried eggplant, bell peppers, and green beans. Damn, they were good!

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Other than trace amounts found in cows etc. trans fats are all man made, processed oil. Our bodies have never had to deal with this before, and so we cannot break it down. This is why they are so unhealthy - they do not occur in nature, and so our bodies pretty much can only deposit them as fat. Now experts say that no amount of trans fat is healthy.

I not sure how, but I've known for years that margarine was garbage. I only use butter as a spread. A little fat is good for you.

I might use Crisco if I were baking a pie, but nowadays I might just go with lard. At least it is natural.

PS. I really didn't need the lecture, but I appreciate it. I've been eating healthy since the mid 70's.

[Royd 0]

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Why, can't restaurants give you a choice? "Would you like your fries cooked in canola oil, corn oil, peanut oil or lard?" It's all about choices.

Probably because that many deep fryers and different oils would cost a fortune.

[kittikat 0]

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PS. I really didn't need the lecture, but I appreciate it. I've been eating healthy since the mid 70's.

Oops - didn't mean for it to be a lecture... just thought it would be interesting.

BTW - although I agree with the ban, I don't think that it should be a municipal decision.

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[kelpdiver 2]

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Hopefully the idea will catch on and the FDA will eventually follow suit and make a federal-level ban and corporations will find something healthier to help preserve the food they put on the shelves.

It would make more sense to have a suitable alternative first. Instead NYC residents will be the lab rats for the rest of us. Hopefully Olestra like disasters will be as bad as it gets.

This legislation puts them in as much risk as it might protect. And if you read the article, it encourages restaurants who give some nutritional information to stop - its either give everything or nothing now.

[billvon 2,991]

>And therefore, the poor would have to eat even less than what little they can afford to eat now . . .

>I do not believe that banning trans-fats is going to make obese
>people suddenly start losing weight and becoming slim and trim.


Well, it would definitely make those people who "have to eat even less" lose weight, would it not?

[vortexring 0]

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No, this is good John.

Trans-fats are killers mate, and their generally found in cheaper foods. From ice-cream to ready-to-eat pasta bags.
And being found in cheaper foods, it's generally the poorer element of society eating them, and feeding them to their children.

Banning them is an excellent idea - they have no nutritional value.

Thank you for deciding on my behalf what I should eat, since I'm incapable of making such decisions for myself.

And if they can ban certain products because they might kill you decades later from the long-term effects, then how come they haven't outlawed cigarettes?

I hear that skydiving can kill you too - perhaps the government should ban that too - for our own good, of course.

Your so predictable - cigarettes are addictivley enjoyable and increase Government coffers. Skydiving is hugely enjoyable. They are incomparable to trans-fats. You would not notice the difference from trans-fats being removed from your food item. There are numerous cheaper alternatives. As mentioned earlier I have no doubts you'd be rather surprised to find out how often they appear in foods, even the foods marketed as being healthy and slimming.

But I've not decided on what you can or cannot eat.

In fact John, fill your boots mate

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[georgerussia 0]

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I do not believe that banning trans-fats is going to make obese people suddenly start losing weight and becoming slim and trim.

I do not believe in this either. Like most of the people who were smoking for last twenty years also did not stop smoking just because the government banned smoking in most public places, and increased taxes on tobacco products. However I personally know several persons who did stop, and obviously there will be less smokers in future than it would be without this ban.

Will this ban make the general population healthier? Most likely. Will it alone solve the obesity problem? I don't think so. But will it help? Definitely.

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No, they're going to keep eating too much, and exercising too little. Whether what they eat has trans-fats in it or not is irrelevant. Obesity is a behavior problem.

You are right - but it still depends on what you eat too much. Some food has greater "obesity factor" than other; so far nobody has become obese by eating too much apples or oranges, and nobody has become healthies by eating trans fat products.

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Yep, let the market decide. If you don't want to eat it, don't. Those that do, should have that choice. I don't want the government taking away choices.

Unfortunately the market itself sometime makes very ugly decisions. At least I fail to see how drug, alcohol or tobacco market voluntarely restricted themselves until the government stepped in. And you know that anti-trust laws (which are basically against true "market" economy) are there for a reason.

Personally I'd like to see a kind of extra "tax" on a trans fat food, which could be used to offset the cost of healthy food. As a result, "trash" food would cost the same as healthy food, or even more. This would help the people make better decisions. Yes, this means that the people who eat mostly trans fat would eat less - but that's what you need to decrease the obesity rate, isn't it?

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[georgerussia 0]

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Thank you for deciding on my behalf what I should eat, since I'm incapable of making such decisions for myself.

This decision actually has nothing with one's ability to make decision for himself. If all (most) of the restaurants use trans fat, your decision making ability is already very limited. It is similar to the asbestos and lead paint ban imposed by the government - should it be my decision to choose a paint?

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And if they can ban certain products because they might kill you decades later from the long-term effects, then how come they haven't outlawed cigarettes?

They are already doing it, but slowly. The big first step was already done. There are now more in progress, like serious increase in cigarette taxes (at least in California).

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I hear that skydiving can kill you too - perhaps the government should ban that too - for our own good, of course.

This is a good point. If the number of people being killed on hurt in skydiving will come even close to the current obesity rate (24%?), I suspect the government will definitely impose some restrictions on it, or even ban it.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[Samurai136 0]

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Do you want the government telling you what kind of foods you can eat? Shouldn't individuals be allowed to decide for themselves what products to consume? And with this precedent in place, what's next: banning sugar?

I think the government is trying to force americans onto a diet of Chili Cheese Fritos (Zero grams of trans Fats!)

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[Erroll 80]

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Do you want the government telling you what kind of foods you can eat?

Doesn't the FDA do that already?

[Erroll 80]

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Oops - didn't mean for it to be a lecture... just thought it would be interesting.

It was interesting, and very informative too.

[masterrig 1]

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Why, can't restaurants give you a choice? "Would you like your fries cooked in canola oil, corn oil, peanut oil or lard?" It's all about choices.

Probably because that many deep fryers and different oils would cost a fortune.

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I was going for a little sarcasm. oh well.
That's a true story! Have you been grocery shopping lately? The price of cooking oils seems a bit high.


Chuck

[kelpdiver 2]

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Will this ban make the general population healthier? Most likely. Will it alone solve the obesity problem? I don't think so. But will it help? Definitely.

Let's not overstate the value. With this ban, people will gain less weight. That's about as good as it will get. It's not fat that's killing people, it's the calories. Transfats seems to be a particularly bad fat in terms of mucking with the arteries, but it's just one of many evils. I don't think it's much worse than high fructose corn syrup.