I have been reading and reading today in an effort to find out if there are trans fats in plain old cooking oil. My guess is that there are. I found one site that said to add up the saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat numbers and if they don't add up to the total fat number than the remainder is trans fats.

Anyone know more about this? Even my VCO doesn't come anywhere near adding up. Is olive oil the only choice?

Rave
232/178/130
57yo. 5'2"
Started Atkins 6/1/02

http://www.westonaprice.org/know_you...your_fats.html

Sharron Long sent me to this website and it is a wealth of information! Check it out!

Jen

Atkins since 11/11/03

140/133/115

"Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we will reap a harvest if we faint not." Gal. 6:9

Now that's interesting.

I just went and checked mine. I have 3 different brands on hand at the moment.

Spectrum, Organic, Expeller Pressed
14g per serving
12g sat
1g mono
0g poly

We're missing 1 gram.

Essential Coconut, Unrefined Coconut Oil
14g per serving
13g sat
1g mono
0g poly

That adds up just fine.

Parachute Brand
14g per serving
12 sat

And that's all it says. It doesn't list anything about mono or poly.

Very interesting.

It is my understanding, and this is from memory (scary at best!) that trans fats happen when oil is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated to give it a longer shelf life - so I don't THINK that non-solid oils contain trans fats. Hydrogenated (like Crisco) and partially hydrogenated (like some margarines) are more of a solid state at room temp.

I could be mistaken though!!

Char

Don't squat with yer spurs on!

One more thing.

I just went and looked at a Zingers box. It listed 7g of fat in 1 Zinger but only accounted for 3g of saturated fat. No other fats were listed.

What does this mean?

Well, because I KNOW that there are plenty of trans fats in processed, packaged treats, my guess, if they don't list any of the other fat types, then that means whatever is unaccounted for is DEFINATELY a trans fat.

So, that would mean that my Spectrum oil (although ORGANIC) probably has 1g of trans fat and my Parachute Oil has 2g of trans fat.

I guess this figures considering the Essential brand was the most expensive and totally unrefined.

Hey Susan, if you read this, what does your brand say?

I will go back and see if I can reconstruct my Google searches and find the quote that said to add them up.
Meanwhile...(putting on my strongest reading glasses)....

Tropical Traditions VCO
Total 14g
Sat 11.8
Quite a bit missing there.

Spectrum Naturals Organic/Expeller pressed/refined
Total 14
Sat 12
Mono 1
Poly 0
One gram missing here.

Spectrum Naturals Unrefined Corn Oil
Total 14
Sat 2
Mono 3
Poly 8
One gram missing

Bertolli Olive Oil Extra Virgin cold pressing/all natural
Total 14
Sat 2
Poly 1
Mono 11
That checks out OK

And oddly - Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil
Total 14
Sat 1
Nothing else listed.

I am beginning to wonder if we are seeing missing grams or just incomplete labeling or rounding down errors. This is what has me confused and I can't seem to find an explanation.

Rave
232/177/130
57yo. 5'2"
Started Atkins 6/1/02

Found it.
Here's the link to the page that says to add up the fats:
http://www.healthcastle.com/trans.shtml

Am I nit picking???

Rave
232/177/130
57yo. 5'2"
Started Atkins 6/1/02

While I don't agree with that website in general, I do go along with the adding up of fats. That's what I've read several places. Add them up and whatever is missing is trans.

Hmmmmm. I just don't know. I would have never guessed that coconut oil had trans fats.

Although, it could be that a certain number of trans fats are naturally ocurring in general. Just like free radicals in the body. Our body's natural function produces free radicals every day. In addition to that, what WE do can cause more free radicals. But, it's not that we NEVER had free radicals in our body until we started eating bad food. That's not true. They were always there but due to poor diet, environment, etc. there are now more, so we try to minimize.

Perhaps that's the same thing with the trans fats?

I have Mary Enig's book "Know Your Fats" and I'll look through there to see if I can find anything.




Member since 2001

http://www.ilovelowcarb.com

Marcie is right on with her last post.

There are transfats in milk. That is raw, unpasturized milk -- a very "healthy" food (see the article on Weston A. Price about Real Milk.)

The problem is when the fats break down in the cooking process, as I understand it. Fats that are naturally hydrogenated, like lard and coconut oil, don't break down and collect free radicals the same way "man made" liquid oils do.

Please read the article "The skinny on fats" at Weston A. Price Foundation

While I don't adhere to all of their teachings, the ones I've applied have been dramatic towards my healing process....

Blessings!
Sharron
Author of "Low Carb Cooking at Sharron's Place," and "Extreme Lo-Carb Cuisine," available where ever books are sold.

www.thelowcarbcook.com

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart." Colossians 2:2

I didn't mean to come across as an alarmist with regard to trans fats. At first I was just trying to find out when the labeling for trans fats was going to become mandatory. That lead to the snipet of information about adding up the listed fats and subtracting them from the total. Curious, I started checking out all the high priced oils I had been purchasing, fully expecting them to show none. Surprise

Monosodium Glutamate, cholesterol, trans fats are all part of our make up naturally and can't be totally eliminated. I guess my question about trans fat is how much is too much? Having come 50 some yrs blissfully ignorant I guess I won't overreact now. Just trying to make some smart choices.

It does irk me though that the food industry keeps us so in the dark with the labeling. GRRRrrrr. (I now step down from the soap box)

Rave
232/177/130
57yo. 5'2"
Started Atkins 6/1/02

I don’t think you’re being an alarmist at all. No worries!

Actually, I’m really glad you brought this to our attention. It’s very interesting. Just goes to show how you can’t make assumptions about ANYTHING.

Basically, I just try to eat the best way I know how and don’t get up in arms about everything. When I first started LC in 2001 I was getting crazy about everything. Must do this, must do that, must eat this, must eat that.

That’s all well and good but unless you make a million bucks a year and NEVER find yourself in a position where food choices are “questionable” then it’s just not practical. I do the best I can within my own budget and human limitations and that’s that.

For me, it’s not worth stressing over every little thing.

I gotta live!


Member since 2001

http://www.ilovelowcarb.com