Hidden Health Dangers: The Fast Food Lie
Mindy Shuman
Issue date: 10/26/04 Section: News
With the exception of McDonald's who slides in 6 grams below the total intake, all of the above mentioned meals exceed dietary recommendations for the whole day, some by an astounding amount. Is it any wonder the American adult obesity rate has doubled over the last twenty years?
However weight gain is not the only danger presented by fast food.
Walk into the kitchen of a Burger King and there are square boxes stacked near the fryer. Inside each of these are blocks of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, solid and white, waiting to be scooped up by gloved hand and dumped into the 350-degree fryers.
Vegetable oil is not a naturally solid substance at room temperature, nor does it have a long shelf life. Oxidation will cause the oil to go rancid. To prevent this, manufacturers will partially hydrogenate the oil. Partial hydrogenation is accomplished by heating and exposing the oil to semi-toxic metals like nickel and aluminum and then passing hydrogen gas bubbles through it. Hydrogen attaches to the fats within the oil, and they change, becoming plastic or trans fats, which the body has trouble recognizing as food. Trans fats have no nutritional purpose. They are absorbed by the body and are directly stored in fat cells or clog arteries. Since these oils have been introduced into most processed foods, heart disease statistics, as well as obesity, has risen
It isn't really necessary for fast food restaurants to use partially hydrogenated oils. Fryer oil must be changed regularly; otherwise, it turns black as tiny bits of food burn, so oil does not sit around for long periods of time. .Therefore shelf life is not an issue. In 2002, McDonald's announced with great fanfare that they would reformulate their cooking oil to one with less trans fats. In 2003, however, they made a much quieter announcement that they would be extending that time frame. If any of these restaurants changed to the natural forms of oil, their fried food would be trans fat free.
However weight gain is not the only danger presented by fast food.
Walk into the kitchen of a Burger King and there are square boxes stacked near the fryer. Inside each of these are blocks of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, solid and white, waiting to be scooped up by gloved hand and dumped into the 350-degree fryers.
Vegetable oil is not a naturally solid substance at room temperature, nor does it have a long shelf life. Oxidation will cause the oil to go rancid. To prevent this, manufacturers will partially hydrogenate the oil. Partial hydrogenation is accomplished by heating and exposing the oil to semi-toxic metals like nickel and aluminum and then passing hydrogen gas bubbles through it. Hydrogen attaches to the fats within the oil, and they change, becoming plastic or trans fats, which the body has trouble recognizing as food. Trans fats have no nutritional purpose. They are absorbed by the body and are directly stored in fat cells or clog arteries. Since these oils have been introduced into most processed foods, heart disease statistics, as well as obesity, has risen
It isn't really necessary for fast food restaurants to use partially hydrogenated oils. Fryer oil must be changed regularly; otherwise, it turns black as tiny bits of food burn, so oil does not sit around for long periods of time. .Therefore shelf life is not an issue. In 2002, McDonald's announced with great fanfare that they would reformulate their cooking oil to one with less trans fats. In 2003, however, they made a much quieter announcement that they would be extending that time frame. If any of these restaurants changed to the natural forms of oil, their fried food would be trans fat free.