Cally's working title

Trans fatty acid, also known as (partially) hydrogenated fat, are in many prepared foods we buy. They are good for the food industry (they increase shelf life), but are bad for us (they decrease OUR shelf life!)

Trans fats are the stealth bombers of the food world. They are not fully understood, but it is known they raise LDL cholesterol (the bad one) while lowering HDL cholesterol (the good one). They also promote blocked arteries leading to heart disease, high blood pressure and many other diseases. There is also a link between trans fats and type II diabetes. In short, they are a hidden killer.

Denmark has banned them in all food manufacture, including fast food. A common philosophy of McDonald’s is that a McDonald’s product can be bought anywhere throughout the world and it will taste the same. And guess what? Danish consumers cannot taste the difference. The point is - when it’s removed, no-one can spot the difference.

Unfortunately the UK government has no plans to address such an issue. Indeed the EU think it sufficient to tackle the problem with comprehensive labelling and allow the consumer to decide. Try explaining to a child the next time they want a biscuit or snack that they must read the label and reject it if there’s trans fats in the product! Don’t think that one will work for many shoppers. This is simply another example of the power the food industry has on politics.

So, congratulations to both Asda and Marks & Spencer for taking a progressive step forward in removing trans fats from their products. Asda says that by Autumn there will be no trans fats in ready meals, chilled and frozen pies and quiches. Likewise, Marks and Spencer say that 98% of their ready meals are free of hydrogenated fat, while at the same time they are also minimizing saturated fats.

For more information visit the Campaign against trans fat in food:
http://www.tfx.org.uk
http://www.marksandspencer.com
http://www.asda..co.uk

We all know vitamin E is a very good antioxidant, it is also used by many to treat burns. It may also be useful as an internal sunscreen. An eminent American nutritionist once recalled a story where he was told - by his nextdoor neighbour - about the miraculous sunscreen properties of vitamin E. This guy loved to tend his garden in the middle of summer but had a fair complexion and was very pale … he subsequently used to burn to a crisp by the ferocious midday sun. It was recommended that he take a vitamin E supplement … he did and the next day he burnt to a crisp. On complaining to the neighbour, the response was “don’t be so stupid, this is a fat soluble vitamin, you need to take it over a period of weeks/months for it to build up in your body”. Which makes sense. So the next summer season he did just that and low and behold, the result was less burning, little if any peeling and the skin turned brown very quickly!

On delivering a lecture, the nutritionist once again recalled this story. To his surprise a member of the audience confirmed his story. She was a nurse and worked on cruise ships in Canada. For years she had been treating people for extreme sunburn. Someone had told her about the miraculous sun protection properties of vitamin E and from that point on, the cruise liner people recommended to prospective travellers take 400-800 units of vitamin E daily, 8-10 weeks before going on holiday. The result was that they had fewer people in sick bay with extreme sunburns - all round, people had a better time!

If this really works - wow, what a discovery! However, it is anecdotal evidence. Nothing has been established in a laboratory situation - no trials have been done. But seeing that summer is on our doorstep, it might be worth a try.

Nothing to do with food or nutrition, but important in health terms nonetheless …

It has been suggested that for every cigarette smoked, life expectancy is decreased by 20 minutes. In itself this figure is meaningless, particularly to those who have the odd cigarette. To provide a little clarity however, I’ve made a few calculations. The results are staggering. This means that if just 10 cigarettes are smoked each day, over a year life expectancy has been reduced by 50 days!

http://www.givingupsmoking.co.uk/
http://www.quit.org.uk/
http://www.ash.org.uk/