New York City passes trans fat ban

[cal04]

The Board of Health has voted to make New York the first city in the nation to ban artificial trans fats in restaurant food.

The board is expected to give restaurants a slight break by relaxing what had been considered a tight deadline for compliance.

The board also ordered restaurants to standardize how they display the number of calories in dishes on their menus in an effort to combat obesity.

The new law, to take effect July 1, applies to restaurants that already report the calorie counts and requires them to display the numbers on menus and menu boards. It is expected to affect about 10 percent of New York City restaurants, including many fast-food establishments.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16051436/

[Pawel K]

1. Great, but only 10 percent?

Why not require calorie counts on everything you order at a restaurant?

[ThomCat]

2. I'm not sure that would be possible.

If you have a chef who changes the menu periodically, how is he/she going to know the accurate calorie count of each dish? That requires lab testing.

It's only really practical for fast food places that serve standardized food in standarized portions.

[wtmusic]

8. Good point.

The net effect will be less creative cuisine. This is way over the top.

[ThomCat]

10. I don't think so.

This is pretty well targetted only as fast food. I don't think real restaurants will be affected much, if at all.

[wtmusic]

11. Ah, yes.

must remember to Read Before I Post. :spank:

[mondo joe]

5. Calories aren't the issue.

The health impact of trans fats is.

[Pawel K]

12. Sure, but calories are just as big of a problem

If you can pack 1000 calories into a single burger or a single milkshake the consumer needs to be warned about this. I guess as ThomCat said this is more aimed at fast food, which is great.

[napi21]

3. Truely, I question the benefits oflisting caloric count on menus.

Are people that dumb that they dont already know that fried foods, and bisquits & gravy aren't high in calories? I have been very fortunate all my life, and never had toworry about dieting, but even I knowwhich foods to stay away from or eat sparigly if you are concerned about your weight.

I see listing calories on restaurant menus as an invitation for a hand full of idiots to sue, just because the count was different than what was listed.

[LSK]

18. try calorie counting as a diet and you will understand

I have been on this type of diet this year and it works for me. But I avoid places that do not list calories. Yes I can go eat a 1000 cal wendys burger, but Im eating next to nothing afterwards for the rest of the day.

For me, as long as I stay in the daily limit, I can eat ANYTHING.

I would love it if all restaraunts listed calories.

[On the Road]

4. As Much as I Hate Unecessary Regulation,

trans fat is a serious public health issue and I'm really happy about this law.

There is no reason food service establishments cannot find alternatives to hydrogenated oils. They just didn't have the incentive. Pastries and pie crusts might have to use butter, which is healthier than Crisco.

Now, is the article saying that the law applies only to 10% of restaurants, or that only the labeling provision applies to 10%? The latter would make more sense.

[wtmusic]

9. Butter is healthier than Crisco if you have no issues with cholesterol

IMO this is insane. If people want/need to know, they can simply ask, and most restaurants happily provide the information.

[On the Road]

13. Cholesterol is as Much of an Issue with Margarine as with Butter

some health professionals say that a stick of margarine is worse for your cholesterol than a stick of butter because of the transfat. And in the case of fried foods, there's really no need for it.

I have high cholesterol but am not overweight. I will not french fries or fried chicken outside the home any longer because deep-frying is almost always done with hydrogenated oils. And you almost can't escape it. What NY is doing is a very sensible thing that will not put an undue hardship on businesses.

[wtmusic]

14. There is not an ounce of cholesterol in margarine

IMO your 'health professionals' should find another line of work.

[On the Road]

15. Of Course Margarine Doesn't Have Cholesterol

What it has is hydrogenated vegetable oil, which contains large amounts of transfat. Ounce for ounce, transfat has a more harmful effect on human cholesterol levels than saturated fat. Saturated fat raises both good and bad cholesterol, whereas transfat raises bad cholesterol (LDL) and lowers good cholesterol (HDL).

That is why many nutritionists feel that margarine in stick form is worse than butter. What is being recommended nowdays is soft tub margarine, which does not need the stiffness that comes with hydrogenation. It varies by brand, so it's wise to check the labels, which now show transfat levels separately.

Restaurants can use the same vegetable oils for deep frying, just without hydrogenation. As a Danish DUer pointed out, Denmark went transfat free three years ago with hardly a blip. It's a big improvement in public health for a very limited cost.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Getting t-FA Free Magarine Is Easy

Certain distributions of polyunsaturates (which are available in many readily available vegetable oils) can be partially hydrogenated without any appeciable formation of transoligomer triglycerides.

As the multiple double bonds on a polyunsaturate move farther apart, the probability of forming trans-chains (which is a function of the angle of the split chain overlap) goes down by a cubic function.

So, there are plenty of margarines on the market that have no detectable level of transfat. (Which you said!) It just requires judicious use of the oil type and less rigorous (read, slower) hydrogenation conditions. Most companies offer this sort of product by now.

I worked for a fatty chemicals firm back in the late 70's. I know more than i want to about hydrogenation along with fats and oils chemistry. So, just thought i'd share some of the tech side.

The Professor

[On the Road]

19. Hi Professor

I see you are much more than an economist.

Does a "trans-chain" mean that the extra hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon "spine" begin to form bonds among themselves, and does this change their shape to the point where they clog arteries more effectively? I haven't read anything about the chemistry, but it always helps to know the underlying process.

Is it your opinion that the cholesterol risk from transfat (or from partially hydrogenated oils) is being exaggerated? I've been looking at health sites after getting a cholesterol reading of 252, and have seen a variety of opinions.

Also, are there any brands of low-transfat margarine you would particularly recommend?

[ProfessorGAC]

21. No, Not Quite

There are two configurations of hydrocarbon chains as they start to get long enough to dissipate the overall charge over a broad area. The configurations are "cis" and "trans" and the latter is generally characterized by "crossing over" of part of the chain at the double bond, in relation to the generalized plane of the molecule. When the organic molecule is ring structured, these are called "boat" and "chair". That might help you visualize the difference. Cis bends down and up so the the tail of the chain is moving closer to the molecular "center" (or principal functional group). Trans tends to bend in a "z" conformation which creats a whole different charge density. So, they behave differently. Not so much chemically, but in the physical properties. They will, however, behave differently in some enzymatic reactions in the body, because the attack site of the enzyme is harder to achieve on a trans-acid.

As you said before, the soft (tub) margarines are less hydrogenated. They all start from pretty much the same oils, but i would guess that something made from a low eurucic canola would be useful. These are loaded with polyunsaturates, and lots of C18 monounsaturates but low in the C22's that are most susceptible to trans-conforming upon hydrogenation.

Just look for "LEAR" based canola. Double check that with a nutritionist though, because i don't know all the biochem aspects of high stearic oils.

The Professor

[wtmusic]

20. Understood, however...

butter has trans fats as well, so the issue is far from clear. Most sources I come across say you're still better off with margarine:

"Butter or Margarine: the Verdict?

BOTH saturated fats and trans fats can raise total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Therefore, try minimizing the intake of BOTH saturated fats and trans fats. It is clear that butter contains more saturated fats and trans fats when we add up the numbers. In addition, butter also contains cholesterol.

The Verdict? Margarine. Choose non-hydrogenated soft margarine."

http://www.healthcastle.com/butter-or-margarine.shtml

Frying oils aren't hydrogenated anyway, since hydrogenation is used to make the oil "spreadable". So high-cholesterol individuals who (mistakenly) switch from non-hydrogenated margarine to butter aren't doing themselves any favors. It would be interesting to see cholesterol statistics, if there are any, from Denmark.

[On the Road]

22. Yes, There is a Controversy About the Relative Levels

Here's a reference to a study that found:

"Trans fatty acid intake through french-fried potatoes would be decreased by 70% compared with published estimates, if french fries were fried in TAL (tallow, or rendered beef fat) rather than SBO (partially hydrogenated soybean oil)."
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4035/is_200310/ai_n9313478

The point was to put hydrogentated oils, which are often seen as innocuous, in the same ballpark as saturated animal fats, which are generally seen as harmful.

The choice is usually not between those two (at least not for frying), but between hydrogentated and unhydrogenated vegetable oil. And contrary to your claim, most deep frying oils in McDonalds, KFC, or other food service establishments are partially hydrogenated. Some of the chains have made voluntary moves to reduce the amount of transfat in their frying oil. This law puts all establishments on the same playing field.

[TomInTib]

6. We beat 'em to it (Tiburon, CA)

Except our ban was voluntary.

[warrens]

7. Good move

Make all chains play on a level playing field. 18 months is plenty of time to source better oils and other ingredients. Chicago is considering a similar bill, and the big chains are getting the message.

[Rainscents]

16. Great move!!!

Fuck yeah... I'm all for it!
I don't eat trans fat what so EVER... They are Poisson and cause of MAJOR artery destroyer!

I only use, organic butter, Olive oil and pure raw virgin coconut oil!