The Trans-Fat Conspiracy

[Ephinie]

Has anyone noticed that recently (within the past couple of years), packages of food are popping up, proclaiming, "0 grams trans fat!" This phrase is showing up on everything from snack foods to fruits.

So this led me to wonder... what exactly IS trans fat, and, more to the point, what type of food actually does contain it? I mean, Doritos don't have it... beef doesn't have it... pasta doesn't have it... um, NOTHING CONTAINS TRANS FAT. I've been on a mission to randomly read every package label in the store. I have noticed that nothing contains trans fat. In other words, there is no such thing as trans fat. I mean, c'mon... if it is found in no type of food anywhere, then how can it exist?

So since we have established that trans fat is not real, why do people insist on putting, "0 grams trans fat" on their packages? They're expoilting people who want to eat healthy, that's why. So what if Doritos have no trans fat? They have NEVER had any trans fat in them, so they are no more healthy now than they were when that little proclamation was printed.

Thus, if you see a label that says "0 grams trans fat" on it, ignore it. It means nothing. Trans fat is a myth, and you are not eating healthier by avoiding it. You don't have to actually DO anything to avoid it. All you have to do is eat whatever you want and, voila, you've avoided it.

And in two years from now, when they start putting crazy things like, "0 grams of salicahieocan cholesterol" on packages, be aware that that also is a fake advertising stunt designed to make you think you're eating more healthy. There is no such thing as salicahieocan cholesterol, either. I just made it up.

[Saruman]

Though not the most reliable source in terms of generating a healthy explanation (forgive the pun), Wikipedia gives a definition of what trans fatty acids actually are, and why they could be deleterious if consumed in certain quantities.

But who's to say there isn't at least some amount of trans fat in our favorite processed foods? Just because they say 0 doesn't mean there isn't a trace of it in the product. And are they required to give out that information on their small package health labels?

Who knows, I could be wrong on this. But anything like Doritos or flaming hot cheetos, etc., surely can't be good for our health, no matter what labels we're looking at. *SIGH*

[Narborg]

I havent noticed it. Maybe we dont hvae thenm here, or maybe I just havent bean looking......

[LifeMaiden]

It's also to me, another misleading way of getting people to buy the product if its says NO TRANS FAT, but there's other types of fat in the product and more calories than you need. Remember the LOW CARB craze? All of these things are just ways to get people to buy stuff they think is healthier than it really is. Trans fats are supposed to be the fats that clog the arteries and all that...the 'bad fats'. But if it has calories and you eat too much of it, that's not going to be helpful. I've noticed the NO TRANS FAT everywhere also in stores.

[EveningStar]

I'll tell you another myth. The idea you can slim down with diet beverages and nutrasystem meals. You see thin people eating regular food and fat people eating nutrasystem. What would anyone's logical conclusion be? Diet beverages and Nutrasystem make you overweight! :D

[Ephinie]

I'll tell you another myth. The idea you can slim down with diet beverages and nutrasystem meals. You see thin people eating regular food and fat people eating nutrasystem. What would anyone's logical conclusion be? Diet beverages and Nutrasystem make you overweight! :DI agree. The best way to lose weight is to ask LifeMaiden for help.

Plus, so what if Nutrasystem did work? Logically, if you lost weight by eating that, then you'd have to keep eating it for the rest of your life if you wanted to keep the weight off... You'd never be able to eat real food again. Okay, now that I think about it, that's a pretty good idea for them. It's a guarunteed franchise, cause people HAVE to eat.

And I hate diet sodas. To me, if I am going to drink a soda, it's going to be a regular one. Otherwise, I won't drink one at all. The diet sodas just leave a bad taste in my mouth. This is probably because I was never allowed to drink them growing up, so I never acquired a taste for them in the first place.

Oh, and LM.. what you said about how trans fat was supposed to be the "bad" fat that's in foods... a few years ago, wasn't that what saturated fats were supposed to be? And many of these foods still contain saturated fats. So yeah, I really think they just made the whole thing up for marketing.

[LifeMaiden]

The problem with Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig and even Weight Watchers, or other diet programs, is that you have to buy their own food products, and that can get costly. These food products often have more chemicals and additives in it than healthy whole foods you can get much cheaper in the grocery stores. The one reason people do go to the diet centers is because of support...you have other people there helping you out. But they could easily do this amongst other friends who are overweight and not have to pay 500 or 600 a month for the food.


A friend of mine in the past was on Jenny Craig and her food tasted awful. It was all packaged stuff and measured out to make sure you counted the calories and all that, but it was costing her 550 a month. You could pay less for REAL food at the store.


Diet shakes don't work unless you make it a point to drink those the rest of your life with one or two square meals in the evening. These are just shortcut ways to what is really A LIFESTYLE CHANGE. You can't just hope to lose weight as some kind of trend and follow those stupid low carb, no trans fat labels as a hope to be healthy. A LIFESTYLE CHANGE means just that....your every day life eating and exercise habits must be overhauled . And there's no such thing to me as 'bad' and 'good foods' ...what happens when people say things like that is they deny themselves treats...and then go crazy and binge. If you want a can of coke once in a while. go for it. A slice of pizza a few times a week? Go for it. Just be sure to balance everything else out with a good diet and some exercise.


And never take those stupid metabolite pills or whatever....not only can they make your heart race, but they're not going to keep weight off in the long run.

[Narborg]

A lot of thoses dieat programs dont often work too well, there jsut about mking money. In NZ we have a lot of food hich says someing like 97% fat free, which means its 3% fat. Do you have that in the USA?

[LifeMaiden]

A lot of thoses dieat programs dont often work too well, there jsut about mking money. In NZ we have a lot of food hich says someing like 97% fat free, which means its 3% fat. Do you have that in the USA?


Yeah, but New Zealand doesn't have the severe obesity problem that the US does.

[Aravis Kenobi]

I read in my science book last year that Trans-fat does exist. I don't remembr how.

[Narborg]

Yeah, but New Zealand doesn't have the severe obesity problem that the US does.


Yeah, but is a broblem here too.

[Ephinie]

Okay, I've seen labels say things like, "99% fat free!" on the front; but then when you look at the nutrition facts on the back, it says there is like 3% fat. In other words, someone doesn't know how to do their math.

[Narborg]

Okay, I've seen labels say things like, "99% fat free!" on the front; but then when you look at the nutrition facts on the back, it says there is like 3% fat. In other words, someone doesn't know how to do their math.


Yeah, what is the world caming to? There probably some teqnally that lest them get away with it, like difrent tpyes of fat maybe

[Pollywannabe]

Has anyone noticed that recently (within the past couple of years), packages of food are popping up, proclaiming, "0 grams trans fat!" This phrase is showing up on everything from snack foods to fruits.

So this led me to wonder... what exactly IS trans fat, and, more to the point, what type of food actually does contain it? I mean, Doritos don't have it... beef doesn't have it... pasta doesn't have it... um, NOTHING CONTAINS TRANS FAT. I've been on a mission to randomly read every package label in the store. I have noticed that nothing contains trans fat. In other words, there is no such thing as trans fat. I mean, c'mon... if it is found in no type of food anywhere, then how can it exist?

So since we have established that trans fat is not real, why do people insist on putting, "0 grams trans fat" on their packages? They're expoilting people who want to eat healthy, that's why. So what if Doritos have no trans fat? They have NEVER had any trans fat in them, so they are no more healthy now than they were when that little proclamation was printed.

Thus, if you see a label that says "0 grams trans fat" on it, ignore it. It means nothing. Trans fat is a myth, and you are not eating healthier by avoiding it. You don't have to actually DO anything to avoid it. All you have to do is eat whatever you want and, voila, you've avoided it.

And in two years from now, when they start putting crazy things like, "0 grams of salicahieocan cholesterol" on packages, be aware that that also is a fake advertising stunt designed to make you think you're eating more healthy. There is no such thing as salicahieocan cholesterol, either. I just made it up.
that is sooooooo true it is on everything! i mean i admit i did believe it and all but thank you for opening my eyes! i really would like a snack or something with 0 calories or something like that! :p

[Ephinie]

that is sooooooo true it is on everything! i mean i admit i did believe it and all but thank you for opening my eyes! i really would like a snack or something with 0 calories or something like that! :pA snack with 0 calories would be like the invention of the century. As far as I know, the only substance in existence right now that has 0 calories is water.

[inkspot]

There is a kind of kosher dill pickle in Texas which the label says it has 0 calories! (If you would want to eat a dill pickle for a snack -- it has no nutritional value in addition to having no calories.)

My nutrionist advised me to "shop around the edges" of the grocery store: fresh stuff, not processed and packaged stuff -- lower in sodium and chemicals, better for you ... Yummy. Except for Haagen Daaz is processed and packaged and creamy goodness ...

[arwenelizabeth]

Ephinie, you crack me up! :) Weren't you also the one who started the thread about aspartame?

I hate to break it to all you happy conspiracy theorists, but trans fats are a real thing. The term trans (Latin for "across" or "on the opposite side") simply refers to the chemical configuration of the fat molecule; the corresponding term is cis (Latin for "on the same side").

In laymen's terms, a fat molecule is essentially a chain of carbon atoms with oxygen and hydrogen atoms attached. The cis fat molecules are kinked so that the hydrogen atoms on either end of the chain are on the same side. In a trans fat the bonds between the carbon atoms are changed so that the chain untwists itself, causing the hydrogen atoms to be on opposite sides.

For reasons that are not completely understood at this point, it appears that while naturally occurring unsaturated cis fats (found in things like olive oil) are not harmful, the unsaturated trans fats that are a result of artificial processes (specifically hydrogenation, which you may have heard of - think "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil") may be a lot more harmful than previously thought.

So it's not true that "trans fats" are an invention of The Man intended to keep the little people down - trans is an innocent term used by chemists that was around long before the current craze against trans fats. The research on trans fats is inconclusive, but it might not be a bad idea to stay away from them - and hey, natural and low-fat foods are a good idea anyway!

[LifeMaiden]

Okay, I've seen labels say things like, "99% fat free!" on the front; but then when you look at the nutrition facts on the back, it says there is like 3% fat. In other words, someone doesn't know how to do their math.


Clearly we're falling behind in our math skills LOL here in the US.


Food companies want people to buy their products, and by labeling them as 'pseudo' healthy, people go crazy. It's like with those Snackwell fat free cookies or sugar free cookies...they have tons of FAKE fat and fake sugar. For example, I bought this package of sugar-free cookies ( yeah, okay, I wanted to binge a little on cookies but was being too proud to go to Mrs. Field's and get a REAL cookie) and on the label, the sugar substitute was some kind of alkaloid/alcohol based fake sugar. What good is that?! It ended up giving me serious stomach cramps.

Not to mention fat free and sugar free still HAVE CALORIES in them. You could eat fat free cookies and still get tons of calories. Or anything 'nearly fat free"


A good rule of thumb is just not to deny yourself things and use your own judgement when buying food, but always remember that fresh foods and produce are healthier than packaged...except for canned veggies, which can pack more vitamins than fresh...and often taste better. Don't follow food trends. Remember the oat bran and soybean food fad? Now the big thing is POMEGRANATE juice. It costs four or five dollars per bottle. You could get the same kind of antioxidants in cheaper foods.


I don't think I said trans fats were made up by people....they are BAD fats. But then, we already know that saturated fats are bad.

[Ephinie]

Pomengranate juice tastes really good, but it's ridiculous how much it costs! I mean, come on... could it really be that expensive to manufacture? You can buy orange juice and apple juice and all kinds of other juices for much cheaper, so why can't pomengranate juice be less expensive? I think it's just because it is, as LM said, a fad right now. Marketers are taking advantage of the fad to make more money. It probably only costs like 20 cents a bottle to make it.

[Natasia_Vae]

Pomengranate juice tastes really good, but it's ridiculous how much it costs! I mean, come on... could it really be that expensive to manufacture? You can buy orange juice and apple juice and all kinds of other juices for much cheaper, so why can't pomengranate juice be less expensive? I think it's just because it is, as LM said, a fad right now. Marketers are taking advantage of the fad to make more money. It probably only costs like 20 cents a bottle to make it.
I've never drank plain pomegranate juice but I've eaten the fruit and they are delicious. My mom will buy them every now and then and as far as I know they've always been expensive.

[Pollywannabe]

A snack with 0 calories would be like the invention of the century. As far as I know, the only substance in existence right now that has 0 calories is water.
lol water! it's the bomb, man! :p

[Quentilian]

Has anyone noticed that recently (within the past couple of years), packages of food are popping up, proclaiming, "0 grams trans fat!" This phrase is showing up on everything from snack foods to fruits.

So this led me to wonder... what exactly IS trans fat, and, more to the point, what type of food actually does contain it? I mean, Doritos don't have it... beef doesn't have it... pasta doesn't have it... um, NOTHING CONTAINS TRANS FAT. I've been on a mission to randomly read every package label in the store. I have noticed that nothing contains trans fat. In other words, there is no such thing as trans fat. I mean, c'mon... if it is found in no type of food anywhere, then how can it exist?

So since we have established that trans fat is not real, why do people insist on putting, "0 grams trans fat" on their packages? They're expoilting people who want to eat healthy, that's why. So what if Doritos have no trans fat? They have NEVER had any trans fat in them, so they are no more healthy now than they were when that little proclamation was printed.

Thus, if you see a label that says "0 grams trans fat" on it, ignore it. It means nothing. Trans fat is a myth, and you are not eating healthier by avoiding it. You don't have to actually DO anything to avoid it. All you have to do is eat whatever you want and, voila, you've avoided it.

And in two years from now, when they start putting crazy things like, "0 grams of salicahieocan cholesterol" on packages, be aware that that also is a fake advertising stunt designed to make you think you're eating more healthy. There is no such thing as salicahieocan cholesterol, either. I just made it up.
first of all trans-fat is real. people do such things to tell us it not bad for our health, but it is. its the main reason for all-timers and stuff like that. it makes you brain fat is the simplest explanation which is true. (i was obsessed with it after i learn what it was and what it did)

[LifeMaiden]

Yes, we know that trans fats are real, but like the whole low carb craze, it's also a way to get people to believe when they buy something that says ZERO TRANS FAT GRAMS it's going to be good for losing weight or whatever...and while fat grams are important, the amount of sugar and calories is equally as important. I see obese people buying all these NO TRANS FAT products all the time in stores, probably in the mistaken belief that if they buy it and eat it, they won't gain more weight or it's 'healthier' for them.