While the great fat debate rages on, what really gets some people going is the fact that trans fat is present in many products that we eat. To make matters even worst, the most popular fast food restaurants, where millions of people eat every day, do not seem to be proactive in eliminating this deadly poison from the food they serve to American public.
Consumption of natural fats is a controversial subject, but there is no controversy over trans fat consumption. All experts agree that it has no place in our diet.
Trans fat is a by-product of heating vegetable oils at a high temperature and bombarding them with hydrogen gas. This process creates stable oil, but it also creates unnatural molecules that the body cannot process.
The fast food industry loves this hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, because unlike natural oil, it is stable, and has a very long shelf life. Unfortunately, trans fat wreaks havoc in cholesterol balance. It raises bad cholesterol (LDL) while lowering the body’s good cholesterol (HDL), as if this was not enough, consumption of trans fats are linked with increased cancer and heart disease risk.
But I was a little disappointed when a nonprofit organization (Center for Science in the Public Interest) filed a class-action lawsuit against KFC for its use of partially hydrogenated oil.
This short sound-bite lays out what happened.
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I think there are methods that are more effective at raising public attention to the issue of trans fats. As you can see from these pictures taken in Moscow in front of a KFC joint, rather than suing, a few cute Russian girls got their message across, and received a lot of public attention.
I may not agree with their message, but it sure was effective. It is all over the Internet, and I was told that the comrades have been blogging away about this day and night.
I think that if Center for Science in the Public Interest would sponsor some beautiful Russians girls to come over to the United States to peacefully protest against trans fat, it would attract such media and public frenzy that the issue will be resolved in no time. I bet it would also be cheaper than suing KFC.
