Recovering Our Ancestors' Gardens by Devon A. Mihesuah

Author:Devon A. Mihesuah [Mihesuah, Devon A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SOC021000 Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Native American Studies, CKB058000 Cooking / Regional & Ethnic / Native American
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

That Hidden Death Trap: Trans Fats

Trans fat lurks in thousands of foods, but manufacturers are not required by law to include on their list of ingredients whether it contains trans fat. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration did not require this ingredient to be listed until 2006. Most people have heard that there are different kinds of fats: monounsaturated fat (in olives, olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, cashews, almonds, peanuts, and most other nuts, avocados); polyunsaturated fat (in corn, soybean, safflower, and cottonseed oils, fish); saturated fat (mainly animal fats: in meat, seafood, whole-milk dairy products such as cheese, milk, and ice cream, poultry skin and egg yolks, and in some plant foods—coconut and coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil); and the bad one—trans fat, or trans-unsaturated fatty acids. If you see the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredients, then the product contains trans fat. This ingredient helps to increase the shelf life of food, but it has disastrous effects on our bodies.

The first two are “good” fats (although that does not mean you can eat all you want of them). Saturated fat can be a “bad” fat, but luckily, when you eat too much of it your body converts it to monounsaturated fat (a good fat). Trans fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are a serious problem. Trans fats cause a lowering of your HDL (good) cholesterol and an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol. Trans fats lurk in most margarines; vegetable shortening; partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, deep-fried chips, many fast foods, and most commercial baked goods. This list can include waffles, “chicken tenders,” fish sticks, cheese and cracker sandwiches, Ramen noodles, Chex party mix, pizza, biscuits, tater tots, margarine, nondairy creamers, popcorn, and apple pie. The list is a long, scary one. Unfortunately, trans fat is not listed as an ingredient on some food labels.

If you drink a glass of wine or beer, drink a glass of water while considering whether you really need another glass of alcohol. Try no-alcohol wine and “near beers,” those brews with less alcohol.

Roasted green chile peppers can serve as a garnish or side dish for any meal. Because they are roasted, the skins come off easily. We put them in stews and on pizza, sandwiches, eggs, and baked potatoes, and when they are freshly roasted, I eat them plain. Beware of eating too many, however; because they are members of the nightshade family you can get headaches. Take it slowly until you know your tolerance level (and start with the “mild” variety, not “hot”).

Plain baked potatoes have only around 100 calories and are filling. But when you add butter, sour cream, bacon, and cheese, you can easily add up to 500 or more calories. Better yet, have a sweet potato for a sweet taste and much vitamin A. Potatoes are primarily carbohydrates, which means they are converted into sugar very quickly. Diabetics must beware of eating too much of these.

Stop eating canned meats and soups and cold cuts unless the label says “low sodium.

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