Natural Awakenings August 2006

Ban the Killers in our Food

By Valerie Austin

Three of Britain’s large supermarkets have just agreed to eliminate trans fats from their brand name foods. When will American Supermarkets follow suit? Why are these ‘killer’ fats still in our food long after they have been proven to cause obesity and heart disease? Experts estimate that 60 people a day die due to trans fats. I believe this is only the tip of the iceberg.

When I was asked to write a column about healthy eating and the dangers of eating chemical food I was delighted to bring to your attention the seriousness of what exactly is contained in our food. My husband (an author and historian) and I have known the dangers for a several years and have created awareness through a series of lectures and training courses. However, I still find it difficult to believe that we are being so blatantly put in danger by the food industry and their quest for a longer shelf-life. Despite this, I was still shocked by British front page headlines this week that screamed BANNED: THE SECRET KILLER IN OUR FOODS. Three big-name supermarkets are banning the use of ‘killer’ fats in all their own branded food and taking them off the market. Well, that´s one big step in the right direction!

Sainsburys, Asda (Wal-Mart owned store) and Tesco are to remove hydrogenated oil from their own brand products.  These types of oils are the main source of trans fat in our diet

Trans fats: A major cause of fat deposited around the abdomen:

that increase the risk of obesity and heart disease. Specifically manufactured for adding to processed food, they take a relatively benign vegetable oil and transform it into something dangerous through the hydogenation process. This in effect transforms liquid vegetable oil into a plastic-like substance.  The results can be fatal by clogging up arteries and/or by making people fat. Sainsburys reported taking out 383 tons of the oil from its cakes alone. Beware of any processed ´fast food´ meals as you will find trans fats in fries, pies, pizzas, cereals, biscuits, muffins, bread, cooking oil, soups and many other foods. Look out for hydrogenated vegetable oil on the labels even on organic food.
The food industry has been using it because it is cheap and has a neutral flavour but most importantly, it has a very long shelf life. The British Medical Journal reported that scientists criticised the current rules regarding food labelling and demanded that shoppers to be told if the fats are contained in the products in order that they can be avoided.


PLASTIC ARTIFICIAL FAT

To understand why hydrogenated oil is dangerous, you only need to know how it is manufactured.  First a metal catalyst, usually nickel, is added to the oil. Then hydrogen gas is added under very high pressure. This “cooking” process literally transforms the molecular configuration of the once harmless vegetable oil into a thick plastic substance. Our body’s cells cannot distinguish between natural fat and the artificial fat of hydrogenated oil or trans fats. Once the artificial fat is in place, the cell cannot reject it and cell behaviour changes. One of the most visible harmful effects of trans fats is the so-called syndrome X, characterized by obesity, especially around the belly. The less `visible` effects are diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease.


HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

Another food additive that plays a big role in making people fatter is high-fructose corn syrup, which is added to soft drinks, baked goods, deserts, frozen foods and even some energy bars. In America, it is now more widely used than sugar as a sweetener, and its use is spreading worldwide. One 12-ounce soft drink contains the equivalent of 13 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup. For those trying to lose weight, one low-fat fruit flavoured yoghurt can contain a staggering 10 teaspoons of high fructose corn syrup.  Research has shown that when consumed, this sweetener goes directly to the liver, releasing enzymes that instruct the body to store fat. In America, scientists discovered that in 1980, just after high fructose corn syrup was introduced on a large scale, the obesity rates began to rise dramatically and by the year 2000 the numbers had doubled. Now the figure has escalated so much so that the average dress size in Britain has increased from a size 12 to 16 in just 10 years.  Unlike other carbohydrates, this sweetener does not signal the brain to turn down the appetite once it has been consumed. Therefore, people remain hungry and eat more and more. For more information on dangers in food check out James Pool’s ‘Obesity Report’

Preservative Pouch

Do you have a preservative pouch? If you eat chemical food you probably do or will have eventually - it’s almost impossible to escape it. However, there does seem to be a difference in the genders, with men tending to have what looks like a pregnant tummy whereas women are stuck with a midriff roll or tummy thickness or pouch they cannot get rid of, even with dieting. Only a few weeks of real food that is not chemically enhanced could get rid of this completely, and not merely with just false confidence with the “I eat as much organic food as possible” but a complete diet without chemicals or excess salt or sugar (read the labels). It takes a few years for the chemicals to react but when they do, you’re stuck with it and that I can assure you is a nightmare. If you compare the old style homemade cake to the artificial cakes then you can begin to see what I mean.

The difference between an old style cake and a chemical cake.

Home made:

Flour, unsalted butter, sugar, free-range eggs, grated lemon rind.

Shop Bought:

Wheat, flour, egg white, sugar, vegetable margarine (hydrogenated vegetable oil, water, salt, emulsifier (E475) colours (E100, E106b flavourings), glucose-fructose syrup, humectant, vegetable glycerine, vegetable and hydrogenated vegetable oil, emulsifiers: E471, E475, egg, baking powder (raising agents E450, E500) colour (E170) colour (E170), salt, invert sugar syrup, skimmed milk powder, preservatives: E202, E200, flavourings, soya, flour, stabiliser: E415, dried egg white, colours E104, E124

Now take a look to see if you have the chemical pouch!
 

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