Okay, so just heard on good Morning America that KFC was sued for having high levels of trans fat.. So they are doing away with trans fat, that its recomended dose is 2 grams per day, and yet there was 4.5 grams of fat in one extra crispy fried chicken breast.. Is it me or is this ridiculous??? I mean come on, its Fried, what do you expect.. Its no shocker that fried foods contain high levels of fat.. Im not against eating healthier, but I certainly dont think that eating "fried" foods with less "trans fat" will be healthier rather than eating "non-fried" foods, right??? Or perhaps its the amount in which we consume?? Curious what others think about this???
Trans-fat is produced by introducing hydrogen molecules into fat, changing what was a liquid fat (oil) into a solid or semi-solid. This gives it a much longer shelf life, making it more convenient to use in commercial applications. However, it is a product that does not exist in nature, and turns out to be worse for your health than saturated fat. So now butter is healthier than margerine (at least the solid kind). There really are good fats and bad fats, and we can eat a lot more fried food than once was recommended if we watch the type of fat. Olive oil is actually a very healthy food, it increases your good cholesterol. Canola oil is good, but I don't think it has much flavor. Unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats are OK, saturated fat is bad, and trans-fat is evil. :evil: So KFC can still fry their chicken they just can't do it in hydrogenated fat.
Another thing to think about, if you're watching your weight. Fat has more than twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrate. Nutrients are classified as carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Carbohydrate and protein have 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9 calories per gram.
Ahhh, thanks for posting clarity for me, I was so confused, hehehe I didnt realise that olive oil is actualy healthy for you, good thing thats all I use.. I wonder if the cost for switching, will cause the menu prices to go up?? lo l
I saw that KFC story on the news too. I haven't had KFC since. LOL We had purchassed some Sponge Bob Animal Crackers (I think they are made by Keebler), and after the kids had eaten almost the whole package (no, not all at once, over a few days lol), I noticed there was trans fat in them! I was shocked because most things like that these days have no trans fat. I threw the rest away. Granted the kids don't have to watch their weight by any means, but the thought of them eating that crud bothered me.
No, not Oreos! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! :lol: Actually we don't have cookies in the house very often, but recently DID have Oreos when they were BOGO at FL.
After I posted that I thought, SOMEONE is gonna say FL = Florida? LOL Can you imagine? "Come on everyone, Oreos are BOGO in Florida! Road trip!" LOL
Fried does not mean unhealthy. That's a throwback to the misconception that all fat is bad for you. It isn't. That's why Chik-Fil-A fries in peanut oil, which is good for you.
If saturated fat is so bad for you, why did my total cholesterol drop 60 points when I went on Atkins and began eating meat and eggs every morning, and lots of butter? And why did my HDL (good) cholesterol increase by more than one third? And why did my triglycerides drop dramatically? And why do eskimos who live on blubber all winter have virtually no incidence of heart disease?
But your body expends more energy to process fat than it does to process carbohydrates. That's one of the reasons that most people find that they can eat more calories on a low carb diet and still lose weight.
Ehhh, ehhh, ehhh. (Mr. Chemistry clears his throat). I think you mean partially hydrogenated fat which is trans fat.
We all have our own metabolism, and I think different diets work well for different people. If you're one for whom Atkins works, and you are satisfied with the foods that are allowed on that diet, that's great. If you lost weight on Atkins, that may explain the drop in your cholesterol, at least in part. Most of the cholesterol in our blood does not come from the food we eat, it's manufactured by our own bodies. I think eggs took a bad rap for a long time. The latest news I heard about eggs, there is something about them that prevents your body from taking up the cholesterol from the eggs. One thing I have learned about nutrition is, whatever they say is bad for you this year will be good for you next year. My Dad always said, "All things in moderation," and I think that's still good advice. Oh, and the eskimoes -- doesn't whale blubber have a lot of Omega 3 fatty acids? Isn't that supposed to be good for you?
Eggs also have an appreciable amount of Omega 3 fatty acids, a fact that was well hidden by the food industry that wants to sell processed, more profitable food.
From a cooking point of view, I think that many restaurants that do a lot of deep frying tend to favor shortening (partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) because you don't get that odor that you do with other oils.
There's a lot of trans-fat in places you might not expect. Baked goods, of course, are notorious. But look at your jar of peanut butter! Most regular peanut butter is made with shortening. Smucker's Natural, on the other hand, is made with natural peanut oil. That's why it can separate, requiring you to mix it up again.
