Growing trend helped lead to decision to switch
In tune with growing public concern over trans fatty acids in food, CU’s Dining Services made the switch to non-trans fat oils in dormitory food this semester.
Trans fat, along with saturated fats and cholesterol, raises bad cholesterol levels and increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Trans fat also decreases the level of good cholesterol, so it has even more of a negative affect on health, said Eileen Faughey, a nutritionist in Boulder.
More than 12.5 million Americans have coronary heart disease, and more than 500,000 die each year from it, making it one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health.
Cooking oil used in the Dining Halls is now trans fat-free, said Lauren Heising, the registered dietician for Housing and Dining Services.
“But we are still dependent upon manufacturers to decrease trans fat in the foods they provide,” Heising said. “As we find foods that still contain trans fat, we are replacing them.”
But, she said, with pre-made foods it is harder to control whether they contain trans fat.
The new oil, which is slightly more expensive, contains no trans fat and had various other positive advantages, said Kerry Paterson, executive chef for CU’s Housing and Dining Services.
Unfortunately, fried foods are still very popular among visitors to the dining halls. “It’s what people want,” Paterson said. He also said the switch was a step toward “healthier options.”
Foods that are high in trans fat include fried foods, cookies, cakes, crackers and many baked goods. Using trans fat increases the shelf life of food so it can be stored longer. Items such as Hostess brand Twinkies contain trans fat, said Robin Kolble, manager of the Community Health Department at Wardenburg.
“I think it is good that the public is becoming more aware of trans fats,” Faughey said. “Since the public is becoming more aware of it, hopefully they’ll stop buying it.”
The Food and Drug Administration requires that trans fat be listed separately under saturated fat on nutrition labels. With the recent proposal in New York to ban the use of trans fat cooking oil in local restaurants, many corporations, including Kentucky Fried Chicken and Wendy’s, have switched their cooking oils from hydrogenated to soybean-based oil that contains no trans fat.
Taco Bell and McDonald’s are among fast food restaurants still serving foods high in trans fat. Taco Bell’s “Express Taco Salad” contains eight grams of trans fat, the highest on the menu.
“We always like to say, here at the health center, we want you to eat as close to nature as you can,” Kolble said.
She urges people to stick to oils like olive oil, which is hand-pressed directly from the olive, and is not processed before the consumer purchases it.
