FitSugar

Hydrogenated Oil Lurking in Your Halloween Treats?

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:42 PDT

Halloween is all about light-hearted spookiness, but I'll tell you, I saw something shockingly scary at the grocery store - the labels on Halloween candy. Corn syrup, food coloring, and the worst, hydrogenated oil. Companies still use this type of trans fat even though we know it's been linked to heart problems, miscarriages, obesity, and belly fat. Let's see if you know which candy to avoid this year.

Question 1 of 10

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Does It or Doesn't It Contain Hydrogenated Oil?

FitSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:30:00 PST

Hydrogenated oil is a huge buzz world in the food industry. It's a type of trans fat that many companies and fast food chains are removing from their products because hydrogenated oil has been linked to heart problems, miscarriages, obesity, and belly fat. Let's see if you know which foods to avoid.

Question 1 of 8

Oreo cookies

5 Foods to Try to Avoid

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:15:00 PDT

We all know that certain foods are bad for you but what about certain foods that could be linked to cancer? The key to avoiding cancer-causing foods is knowing which ingredients are carcinogens and then reading food labels to permanently avoid consuming those ingredients (specifically hydrogenated oil, sodium nitrate, and acrylamides). Here's the top five potentially cancer causing foods you should avoid from NewTarget.com:

Processed meats and bacon: These meats almost always contain the same sodium nitrite found in hot dogs. You can find some without nitrites, but you'll have to look for them in natural grocers or health food stores. Bacon is also high in saturated fat, which contributes to the risk of cancers, including breast cancer. Limiting your consumption of processed meats and saturated fats also benefits the heart.
Hot dogs: The Cancer Prevention Coalition recommends that children should not eat more than 12 hot dogs per month because of the risk of cancer. If you must have your hot dog fix, look for those without sodium nitrite listed among the ingredients.
Doughnuts: Doughnuts contain hydrogenated oils, white flour, sugar, and acrylamides. Essentially, they're one of the worst cancer foods you can possibly eat. Reader's Digest calls doughnuts "disastrous" as a breakfast food, and many experts agree it's probably one of the worst ways to start the day.
French fries: Fries are made with hydrogenated oil and fried at high temperatures. Some chains even add sugar to their fry recipe to make them even more irresistible. Not only do they clog your arteries with saturated fat and trans fat, they also contain acrylamides. They should be called "cancer fries," not French fries.
Chips / crackers / cookies: These generally contain white flour and sugar as well as trans fats, but it's not enough to simply look for these ingredients on the label; you have to actually "decode" the ingredients list that food manufacturers use to deceive consumers. They do this by hiding ingredients (such as hiding MSG in yeast extract, or by fiddling with serving sizes so they can claim the food is trans fat free, even when it contains trans fats (the new Girl Scout cookies use this trick).

Source

The New Trans Fat: Interesterified Oil

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 08:45:00 PDT

As you know, I have been pretty thrilled about all the bans on trans fat happening worldwide, but of course food makers are finding a way to still make food cheap and unhealthy, without the trans fat. Enter Interesterified Oils.

Being confused about it myself, I decided to look to Mr. Seth Braun, natural health expert and author of healthyfastandcheap.com, because he's really done his research on this new type of oil:

Food manufacturers are getting around the trans fat labeling by mixing small amounts of fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oils and calling “interesterified oil.” They claim that fully hydrogenated oil is healthier. Since there is less trans fat, they can sell this product to food manufacturers for use in commercial dressings, baked goods, candies and anything else that used to have partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list.

In plain english, interestification means mixing fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oil to produce a consistency similar to partially hydrogenated oil, which is the source of trans fats. The solution to the trans fat problem; from the manufacturer perspective!

So what's the moral of the story? Read those labels folks. Food makers are in the business of not only making food, but also in the business of making money. If it has interesterified oils listed, chances are it has trans fat too.

Earth Balance: A Natural Margarine

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 02:30:00 PDT

Who doesn't love the taste of melted butter on a freshly baked muffin? Although that creamy taste is unforgettable, we all know that butter isn't exactly healthy for us because it contains artery-clogging saturated fat and cholesterol.

Margarine is in no way a better option because most of them are made with hydrogenated oils that are high in trans fat. Why are trans fats so bad? They actually raise the bad cholesterol in our bodies and lower the good cholesterol.

I've got a better choice. Have you ever tried Earth Balance? It comes in a tub like other butter alternatives, but it contains no trans-fat whatsoever. It's not made with hydrogenated oils, but rather is a blend of natural vegetable oils including canola and olive.

Ok, so it's healthier for you, but does it taste good? Yes!! It really does. It has a light buttery flavor, that melts just like butter on warm bread. Plus Earth Balance is dairy-free, so it's a great alternative if you are lactose intolerant. You can use it in place of butter when spreading, cooking, or even baking.

Fit's Tips: Look for it in the dairy section next to the butter and margarine. Most health food stores carry it, and I've also been happy to see it on the shelves of mainstream grocery stores.

The Skinny On: Vegetable Oil

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:05:00 PST

A common misunderstanding is that vegetable oil comes from oily veggies. When really vegetable oil is the name typically given to any oil product that comes from a plant of any description (fruit, veggie, etc.). So oils like olive oil and sunflower seed oil are vegetable oils.

So is it good for you? Well, pure vegetable oils, such as olive oil, have been in use for thousand of years and their benefits to our diets are currently documented and understood. Vegetable oils are far better for you than animal oils.

The problem comes in when they are chemically altered, as hydrogenated vegetable oil (or partially hydrogenated) in the various forms like margarine, shortening and some liquid oils.

Check the ingredients for the chemically altered form.

Fit's Tip: A new trend in vegetable oil is to convert your car's gas tank so that you can run it on vegetable oil rather than gasoline.

5 Things: You Should Avoid Putting Into Your Body

FitSugar — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:30:00 PST

Of course everyone eats this stuff sometimes. A brownie here, a Coke with lunch - nothing wrong with moderation. But if you're consuming these ingredients daily, it'll affect your mood and your health. Check the labels. These ingredients are in everything these days.

1. Hydrogenated oil (often labeled as trans fat) - A process that turns free flowing oil into a lard-looking solid at room temperature. The food industry uses it to increase shelf life of products and maximize profits. Eating this stuff increases the bad cholesterol (LDL) in your body and is bad for your heart.

2. Enriched flour – All the grain’s nutrients are destroyed in the refining process. Companies add a little bit of the lost nutrients back and label it “enriched” so it seems nutritious.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup – Your body processes this differently than good old-fashioned cane sugar. It contains more fructose than sugar and converts to fat more easily, which adds to weight gain.

Are you ready to learn the rest? Then

4. Refined Sugar – When you put sugar into your system, you experiences a “sugar high,” that rapidly raises your blood sugar levels. So 2 hours later you “crash,” feeling tired and empty. Sugar that’s naturally combined with fat or fiber sources, like in fresh fruits, will absorb into your body much slower. Then you can avoid the roller coaster sugar ride.

5. Saturated Fats – These are found mostly in animal products and oils. Avoid the ones that are solid at room temperature like lard. They increase your cholesterol levels and clog your precious arteries, which causes cardiovascular disease. Plus they can also be used for furniture polish - how appetizing is that?

Revamped Girl Scout Cookies: Vegan Peanut Butter Patties

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:02:06 PST

Forget about the partially hydrogenated palm oil and artificial flavors - this vegan peanut butter patty, inspired by the Girl Scout Tagalong classic, has all the buttery, peanut buttery, and chocolatey goodness of the original, minus the animal products and unpronounceable ingredients.

This recipe is definitely involved, but it's a fun way to test your baking skills and make something you are truly proud of. Think of it this way - Girl Scout cookies only come out once a year, so make this your special annual treat.

While it's not necessary to temper the chocolate, you'll see that it gives the cookies a sheen and snap that's attractive and delicious. Untempered chocolate will "bloom," meaning the fat of the cocoa will rise to the top, creating a white, dull appearance (like the cookie on the left). If this happens to you, don't worry! The cookies are still edible, so savor the efforts of your hard work.

Click here to see the recipe.

5 Reasons to Love Peanut Butter

Camilla Salem — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:11:11 PST

It's creamy (and sometimes crunchy!), salty, and sweet. It goes really well in sandwiches and baked goods, with chocolate, and even in sauces. It's the ultimate comfort food. Today is National Peanut Butter Day and whether you like to cook with it, bake with it, or simply eat it out of the jar with the spoon, we've got five reasons to love peanut butter.

You have options: Not a fan of crunchy peanut butter? Not to worry, there's a creamy version. Are you worried about hydrogenated oils? Opt for a natural variety. Chances are you'll be able to find a peanut butter that fits your taste buds.
It's sweet and salty: One of nature's best combinations of tastes, peanut butter embodies what it means to be sweet and salty. It satisfies so many cravings in one creamy spoonful.
It's an American classic: Peanut butter as we know it today was invented in America in 1884, and it has been deeply loved by Americans ever since. The United States is one of the leading exporters of peanut butter in the world and the majority of peanut butter is eaten by Americans.

Keep reading for more.

Trick or Treat: What's the Healthier Halloween Choice?

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:43:41 PDT

I'm not going to tell you not to eat Halloween candy this year, because we all are a little psyched for Snickers and Reese's! When you head to the office bowl or snag a treat from your kid's stash, it's nice to have a list of candy you know is slightly healthier either because it's trans-fat free or contains a little fiber or protein. Based on info from nutrition labels on bags of Halloween candy, check out the lists below to find out how to choose your fun-sized treats wisely.

If you're avoiding hydrogenated oils, go for:
Candy corn
Heath Bar
Hershey's Bar
Kit Kat
M&Ms
Peanut M&Ms
Peanut Butter M&Ms
Mounds
Mr. Goodbar
Nestle's Crunch
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
York Peppermint Patty

If you want a little bit of fiber, check out the fiber content in the candy below:
Peanut M&Ms: 0.5 grams
Mounds: 1 gram
Mr. Goodbar: 0.5 grams
Peanut Butter M&Ms: 0.5 grams
Snickers: 0.5 grams
Snickers Peanut Butter: 1 gram

Keep reading to find out which fun-sized treats offer protein and which are lowest in calories and sugar.