Transfat: Banned for Life?

The deed is done. Transfats were officially banned in NYC this afternoon. The vote was unanimous. Restaurants have until July 1, 2007 to replace the tasty fats in spreads and for ordinary deep frying, but get an extra year to fix their recipes for fried baked goods, like doughnuts. Eat 'em while you still can, New Yorkers.

We expect this kind of thing from uptight Yankees, but what about the home city of KFC? Could Louisville be next?

Comments

[Timothy]

I hope Bloomberg and the fuckers who voted for this get cancer. From THE SUN.

[Zeno]

Expect to see black market distrubution of foods with transfats in them.

[Bergamot]

Are trans fats tasty? Do they have a long shelf life? Are they costly to remove?

It seems to me that the food industry has spent the last year jumping over each other declaring that their food either is now trans-fat-free, or always has been; it doesn't seem to be anything that people seem to miss much.

I don't like nanny-state food bans any more than the next guy, but if they're going to waste their time banning something, I'd prefer it to be something that nobody really wants anyway.

[Dan T.]

The great thing is that if you must have trans fats, you can move to another city. Everybody wins.

[Brian24]

I'm with Bergamot. I'm against this sort of legislation anyway, but will this have any effect at all on anybody beyond the initial changeover?

[ChicagoTom]

Mother-bitch! This means Chicago will be following suit soon.

Damn you (pre-emptively) Alds. Burke and Natarus!!

[Alice Pitney]

Hooray! A step in the right direction. But only a step... we need to make it so that there is no city you could move to.

[Eric Atkinson]

Dan, isn't this a great country or what? Local gov. has the freedom to ban other people's freedom because they know better. Anyway NY city need not worry about anyoneleaving that Liberal Hellhole. But if enough people tried I bet they would make leaving illegal.

[Zeno]

Alice Pitney,

Yes, let us keep our cities in Europe! 😉

[Isaac Bartram]

Good, maybe now we can get our food deep fried in lard like God intended. 🙂

[Dan T.]

Alice-

Shhhhh...that's the next step.

[NAL]

I think the main advantage (for the food industry) of trans fats is their low cost. Margarine is about half the cost of butter. Similarly, hydrogenated vegetable oil is cheaper than lard. In point of fact, most of the trans fats can be replaced by something natural that tastes better anyway, so the main gotcha here is that restaurant and grocery prices will go up slightly (assuming they pass the cost on to the customer).

[Kwix]

Bergamot,
I shall refer you to the Alton Brown (Good Eats) episode Fry Hard (Scene 2) for the explanation of why transfats are used. The short answer to all of your questions is "yes".

Regarding this legislation... why not ban saturated fats as well? Then we will have no lard, butter or shortning. That is the only way to ensure the health of the citizens. I'd love to see the pies that would result from that change though. Oh, wait, pies are bad for you too with the sugar and HFCS. Guess next up is banning them.

[Dan T.]

lol I'm a troll lol

[Dan T.]

Dan, your blog is boring and trite. Are you hoping to beef up readership by trolling/being dense/being yourself?

[Bergamot]

Kwix: I've seen that episode, and he doesn't mention trans fats once.

According to Wikipedia, they're undesirable byproducts of the partial hydrogenation process. I can believe that they're somewhat more expensive to remove (or prevent from forming), but the trans fats themselves don't seem to affect shelf life or flavor much at all.

[Dan T.]

Fine. Instead of actually engaging me on issues, you choose to call me a troll or impersonate me. I should probably stick to posting at Daily Kos where the posters are a little more intellectually enlightened and honest.

[thoreau]

I still say that modest calorie intake, moderate exercise, modest fat intake, and eating a variety of foods is the best bet. It's far better than worrying over whether this particular fat is better than some other one. And if you adopt that sensible balanced approach, you can afford to indulge here and there.

[Todd]

No, you can't indulge here and there, because it's illegal. It's illegal because it's everybody else's business how you eat.

And it's everybody else's business how you eat because ....

wait, where was I?

[Kwix]

Bergamot,
No, he doesn't mention transfat, but he does mention hydrogenated fats. Transfats are the result of hydrogenation. Complete hydrogenation would result in a completely saturated fat (similar to lard) but since complete hydrogenation is not possible some portion of the fat is converted into transfat, hence partial hydrogenation(shortning).
To quote this link:
Trans fat has both the benefits and drawbacks of a saturated fat. On the plus side, it has a longer shelf life than regular vegetable fat and is solid at room temperature. The major negative is that trans fat tends to raise "bad" LDL- cholesterol and lower "good" HDL-cholesterol, although not as much as saturated fat.

[Andrew]

I have a serious problem believing that trans fats are "tasty". I replaced most of the trans fats in my recipes with butter recently and they've tasted at least as good as they did with margerine or crisco. In the case of the cookies I've made since then, they tasted much better. The main benefit of trans fats seems to be that they're cheap.

[Aresen]

Oh, Lard! New Pork has slid to margarine of greaseness. The fat is in the fryer now and oleo people are too tallow and blubbering. You're doing it adipose. We will suet you if you surfeit and put you in cellulite.

[JD]

You know, Dan T., that's starting to sound like a better and better idea all the time. I'll just have to move my young, educated, money-making, trans-fat-eating ass to some other place...one without quite as many petty fascists.

[Jonathan C. Hohensee]

...because you feel guilty over the fact that Americans are sterotyped as being overweight.

[Jonathan C. Hohensee]

My last comment was in response to Todd.

[JW]

So, what will happen if a restaraunt refuses to comply? Will they go so far as to shut them down?

I really, really hope one of these tony, well moneyed shops takes these fuckers on.

[Dan T.]

lol i'm gay

[Kwix]

Aresen,
That was a very porcine of your lyrical ability.

Eh, I got nuthin'.

[thoreau]

Here's the real question: Does foie gras contain transfats?

[Zeno]

thoreau,

(serious response)

I think most animal meat contains some transfats naturally.

[highnumber]

Whoever is impersonating Dan T.,
Please use a spoof email or website for his name. It is very hard to tell which are his actual posts.

[de stijl]

You can have my trans fat when you lipo it from my cold, dead ass.

[P Brooks]

If we ban cooking, not only will we be protecting ourselves from trans fats, but we will also be battling global warming!

[thoreau]

Please use a spoof email or website for his name. It is very hard to tell which are his actual posts.

I think that's the point.

[Zeno]

Highnumber,

Maybe Dan T. had a transporter accident. 😉

[Zeno]

thoreau,

Your help is needed on the first South Park thread (of today).

[Dan T.]

The main benefit of trans fats seems to be that they're cheap.

Of course. But not so cheap once you figure in health care costs incurred to fix the damage.

I guess most sensible people realize that the cost of taking away the right to poison one's self (and each other) is a small price to pay for a healthier population.

[Zeno]

Dan T.,

So transfats are now "poisons?" Wow.

The larger concern is of course "where will this stop?" How big of a "price" are you willing to pay for a "healthier population?"

Anyway, its not as if trasnfats will ever be eradicated if people desire them. If people want products with transfats in them they will get them.

[Dan T.]

Ugh, the impersonations are quickly becoming tiresome. Enough Already. Let's try to behave like adults here.

Ok, now to get back on topic. The animal meats that contain trans fats should NOT be excluded from the ban. If we start making exceptions, then that opens to door to all sorts of corporate skullduggery. Pretty soon we're back to where we were.

Besides, do we really NEED that hamburger? We all would be much better off enjoying a delicious organically grown salad in its place. Good for us, and even better for the environment.

[Jonathan C. Hohensee]

I don't need my cigarettes, either, but I have every right to smoke them.

[Zeno]

Heh.

[lunchstealer]

the tasty fats

They're not all that tasty, just usefully solid at room temperature and long-of-shelflife.

Butter, now that's tasty. And don't even get me started on bacon grease. Mmmmm bacon grease.

I could get behind a mandatory all-butter-and-bacon-grease ordinance.

[highnumber]

You want some trans fats? I can get you some trans fats, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don't wanna know about it, believe me...

[John]

"I have a serious problem believing that trans fats are "tasty". I replaced most of the trans fats in my recipes with butter recently and they've tasted at least as good as they did with margerine or crisco."

Therein lies the rub. How long were we all told that butter was going to kill us and we needed to switch to margerin? I seem to recall that being the dogma back in the 70s and 80s. Now it is margerin that is going to kill us. It is a simple formula really, eat less and exercise more and you are healthy. If you eat enough of any food sans celery you are going to be fat. All this does is make food more expensive in NYC restaurants. It will do nothing to make people healthier. And of course it sets a horrible precident for the government to be able to ban otherwise safe products. How long before Berkley or some other lefty craphole bans the sale of meat or cigs or some other out of favor product?

[thoreau]

Dan T.-

Healthy eating is possible without regulation. Indeed, it's even possible without having to abstain completely from transfats. In the past 6 months I have lost 13 pounds and brought my cholesterol down. How? Well, for just $14.95 plus shipping and handling I'll send you my...

OK, just joking. To be serious, I did it by moderate exercise, modest reductions in calorie intake (especially before bed) and eating fewer sweets and fatty foods. Oh, I still eat sweets and fat, just not as much.

The point? The point is that it is quite possible to improve one's health via moderation. Completely renouncing transfats, let alone banning them, is not necessary for the purpose of achieving better health.

I could make all of the ideological arguments, but why bother? You claim to have a goal, and I'm saying that the methods you favor are completely unnecessary for achieving that goal.

[Andy]

Zeno: Expect to see black market distrubution of foods with transfats in them.

I refer you to the book "Survival Of Freedom", edited by Jerry Pournelle, and the story therein, "Lipidleggers"

[Dan T.]

So transfats are now "poisons?" Wow.

Yes, in the sense that they are inherently bad for you.

The larger concern is of course "where will this stop?" How big of a "price" are you willing to pay for a "healthier population?"

That's a question worth considering, although I might ask how big a "price" are you willing to pay for the right to east Crisco?

Anyway, its not as if trasnfats will ever be eradicated if people desire them. If people want products with transfats in them they will get them.

But that's just it - do people really go around looking for foods high in trans fat? If you eat a French fry, can you tell what it was fried in?

[Creech]

Let's just cut to the chase and appoint a
Nutrition And Safety Inspector (NASI) to every household in America.

[Jonathan C. Hohenseee]

That's a question worth considering, although I might ask how big a "price" are you willing to pay for the right to east Crisco?
A dollar $1.79 a tub. How much of a price, in dollars, will the poor of New York have to pay because of rising food prices? Its not the eliete rich going to McD's every day.

[Zeno]

Dan T.,

"Yes, in the sense that they are inherently bad for you."

So are lots of things. How many of those are going to advocate a ban for? Just how involved is the state going to be involved my diet, how much exercise I get, etc.? How many police officers are we going to have to have to enforce such?

That's a question worth considering, although I might ask how big a "price" are you willing to pay for the right to east Crisco?

You're ignoring my question.

But that's just it - do people really go around looking for foods high in trans fat? If you eat a French fry, can you tell what it was fried in?

Maybe they do. Maybe in the future they will do so if a ban goes into effect. I'd "bet" that you will see some reaction like that (given the reaction to such restrictions in history).

[Jonathan C. Hohenseee]

And how much common sense does it take to know what foods are good for you or not? Even sans trans fats, french fries aren't exactly the best for your body, and each of us have known that since grade school.

[Bret]

That's a question worth considering, although I might ask how big a "price" are you willing to pay for the right to east Crisco?

If I'm not free to decide what to put in my own pie-hole, what am I free to do? I agree there is a price to be paid for eating Crisco, but can't I choose to do so without the government interfering?

[Zeno]

BTW, I am fairly certain that some "ideas," some types of "music," etc. may lead to sub-optimal outcomes for people. So when do we start regulating these ideas and music?

Shit, I can hear Plato clapping with entusiasm.

[highnumber]

But that's just it - do people really go around looking for foods high in trans fat? If you eat a French fry, can you tell what it was fried in?

According to McDonald's, we can tell the difference. Believe it or not, but McDonald's is trying on their own to reduce them on their menu. Not because the gov't wants them to, but because they care. Seriously, they have been experimenting with different fats for the fries. So far, they haven't found any healthier alternative that people like as much.

[JW]

I can't tell the Dan spoofs from the real thing, if there is such a thing. Anyway....

Dan, how is it any of your fucking business what I choose to eat (or not eat)?

Ya' know, for a bunch of bloody annoyances who have been screaming about "choice" for a couple decades now, you'd think they would have figured out how to extend that idea beyond abortion.

Think outside the fetal box.

[John]

"But that's just it - do people really go around looking for foods high in trans fat? If you eat a French fry, can you tell what it was fried in?"

Isn't the better sollution then just laws requiring the clear labeling of food? If I have to put a sign up on my restaurant saying "I use transfat", why can't you just choose not to eat there? Do you think people are too stupid to act for themselves given the relevant information?

[Dan T.]

The point? The point is that it is quite possible to improve one's health via moderation. Completely renouncing transfats, let alone banning them, is not necessary for the purpose of achieving better health.

That's true. But it appears that people are not always able to practice moderation (and to some extent in our society good food and the means to exercise is a luxury that not all can afford). Not to mention that many people may not be aware of trans fat or what its ill effects are - one of the big problems of the modern food industry is that people are more disconnected from what they eat an often have no idea what's in their food or how it got there.

This is not to say that the government should ban everything that is possibly unhealthy. But regulating the quality of the food served to the public is a legitimate function of local government.

[Zeno]

Anyway, I'll let you know now that you'll have to take my foie fras from my cold, dead hands. 😉

[Zeno]

But regulating the quality of the food served to the public is a legitimate function of local government.

Why?

[Dan T.]

Hold on, let me plug all of your questions into my trusty cost/benefit formula.

And the answer is...more government instrusion into our personal lives. But then again, that's the same answer I get everytime. LOL!

[Zeno]

Not to mention that many people may not be aware of trans fat or what its ill effects are - one of the big problems of the modern food industry is that people are more disconnected from what they eat an often have no idea what's in their food or how it got there.

Except for the constant drumbeat in the media about transfats, the numerous items in the supermarket which state "no transfats," etc. You are basically making a "market failure" argument here, and there is plainly no market failure. There is plenty of information out there for people. What people do is choose not to follow that information. What this legislation is really doing is forcing people to change their behavior in instances where they have information and just don't care.

[thoreau]

But it appears that people are not always able to practice moderation (and to some extent in our society good food and the means to exercise is a luxury that not all can afford).

I call BS. I get most of my exercise from walking. It ain't that hard.

And healthy food can be cheap. I lost 13 pounds and lowered my cholesterol while eating a can of fruit and package of ramen for lunch every day. That's about $1/day.

I ate a bowl of cereal (store brand) with skim milk and a carton of yogurt. The yogurt is $0.50/carton, a week of cereal and milk is about $7.

So far we're up to $18/week.

Dinner? I can think of tons of easy and healthy recipes that aren't too expensive. Veggies are generally cheap, and they don't need to be bland. Stir fry them in your preferred oil with some garlic and soy sauce. Rice is cheap if you buy the big bags. So are beans. Rice, beans, and vegetables with your favorite seasonings are an endlessly versatile combo as you vary the veggies and seasonings.

So I call BS.

[Dan T.]

Do you think people are too stupid to act for themselves given the relevant information?

I'd wager that the majority of people, if you stopped them on the street and asked, wouldn't be able to explain what trans fats are, how they're produced, or why they're bad for you.

Does this mean they're "stupid"? I wouldn't say that. Few us have the time or inclination to become experts on everything.

[JW]

Just for giggles, I go to Dan's blog and what ad should appear before my wondering eyes?
-----

Net Nanny
Find great deals and save! Compare products, prices & stores. Ads by Google
----
You can't pay for that kind of comedy.

[Jonathan C. Hohensee]

I'm sure the majority of the people, when stopped in the streets, could tell you why eating at cruddy fast food joints isn't good for you with out hearing the words "fast foods" in their life.

[Dan T.]

Nobody normal wants to eat pig shit, but if people WOULD want to eat pig shit, what would be the basis for stopping them? It is their own body they are screwing over, and the welfare state (or various aspects of it) both allow for this self-abuse by getting the willing participants out of their hole they dug, and stops the abuse at the expense of a persons right to eat pig shit because people don't want to pay to fix other's self-caused health problems. The solution I thought I'd be seeing would be advertisements detailing the dangers of pig shit.

Anyway, back to impersonating:

i;'m dum lol

[Jonathan C. Hohensee]

"hearing the words "trans fats" in their life" is what I meant

[Rhywun]

The vote was unanimous.

*Sigh*. We asked for term limits and in return we got an infinitely worse bunch of crooks than the ones we tossed out. I swear these idiots don't represent average New Yorkers. I can't only imagine that average New Yorkers stopped voting. Like me.

I can't tell the Dan spoofs from the real thing

And now he wants to ban meat. Where's Juanita to top that?

Dan, how is it any of your fucking business what I choose to eat (or not eat)?

It's for the good of society. Duh.

[Zeno]

You know, I wonder how often government "experts" are actually "right" (in some testable sense)? Furthermore, I wonder how often they are "right" (in a testable sense) in comparison to the decisions of the general population? Anyway, the idea that government "experts" are better predictors, better at making discrete decisions, etc. is simply assumed by a class of people; that assumption needs to be demonstrated before we can take it seriously.

[highnumber]

Anyway, I'll let you know now that you'll have to take my foie gras from my cold, dead hands. 😉

Watch what you say. I am a "by any means necessary" kind of guy when it comes to foie gras.

[Zeno]

highnumber,

I'll make sure to buy some tonight.

[Rhywun]

Er, "I *can* only imagine". Dammit.

[Dan T.]

So I call BS.

Well, therou, it seems you've employed the classic libertarian "I don't have this problem so I don't understand why anybody else does" argument. There's not much answer to that one.

[Jennifer]

I seem to recall that transfats made it onto menus in the first place because they were supposed to be healthier than dangerous substances like butter and lard. Now we're supposed to use butter and lard instead of those dangerous transfats.

By the way, dark chocolate is good for you this week, because it contains antioxidants and stuff. But enjoy it while you can, because next week it will go back onto the "bad" list due to diabetes concerns or some such thing.

[Nick]

John asks:

"Isn't the better sollution then just laws requiring the clear labeling of food? If I have to put a sign up on my restaurant saying "I use transfat", why can't you just choose not to eat there? Do you think people are too stupid to act for themselves given the relevant information?"

It's funny that you ask that. I recall an article on MSNBC about this exact thing. We live in a world where we have access to all the information we need. The MSNBC article found that people do read the information on food products, and even though they see that some products are full of sugar, fat, cholesterol, etc. they continue to buy them. Why? Because they want to. Which is what gets the nanny staters' goats. Since people won't make the "right" decision, it then has to be made for them, under fear or punishment.

Nick

[thoreau]

Well, therou, it seems you've employed the classic libertarian "I don't have this problem so I don't understand why anybody else does" argument. There's not much answer to that one.

No, I DO have the problem, and I found a very cost-effective solution to the problem. So I call BS on the notion that it's too difficult of a problem to solve.

[Zeno]

Anyway, I've got get ready for the Christmas Concert. Maybe I'll eat some transfats along the way. 😉

[Dan T.]

Dan, how is it any of your fucking business what I choose to eat (or not eat)?

Individually, it's not. If only one person or a handful of people ate rat poison tonight, nobody would care because it wouldn't affect them.

But the more people do it, the more of an adverse affect it has on others. Pretty simple concept that libertarians don't seem to get.

[highnumber]

Zeno,

Are you tempting me? I haven't had any in over a week. Don't make me come over there.

[thoreau]

Wait, what am I doing talking to the troll?

Damn, I'm an idiot.

[highnumber]

I was referring to foie gras, not Christmas Concerts.

[JW]

But the more people do it, the more of an adverse affect it has on others.

And those effects would be?

Funny, I never knew transfats were communicable. What's the infection vector?

[Dan T.]

That "eat less and exercise more" bit only worked for Thoreau because he has Magic Physicist Powers. Regular people can't be expected to do it.

[Dan T.]

Cmon folks, feed me. I'm a hungry troll. Just make sure it's trans fat-free.

[Dan T.]

Exactly Dan T., not all people (esp. the poor) have access to those magical powers.

Oh wait, I'm so confused.

[Dan T.]

The important thing is, people are paying attention to me. My existence has been validated.

This transfat ban is a wonderful thing.

[P Brooks]

"...it seems you've employed the classic libertarian "I don't have this problem so I don't understand why anybody else does" argument."

And here we have the classic nannybot "solution." If there is something which is too dangerous/ complicated/ challenging/ difficult/ unhealthy/ et c for SOMEBODY, then it must be too dangerous/ complicated/ challenging/ difficult/ unhealthy/ et c for ANYBODY, and must be regulated (that is, prohibited) accordingly.

[Dan T.]

It is a well-known fact that walking costs a lot of money, which is why poor people can't do it. And only rich people are allowed to buy yogurt at 50 cents a carton; poor people are required by law to spend 5 bucks on a McDonald's meal instead. So Thoreau has no business saying that his weight-loss plan will work for poor people, too.

[Jonathan C. Hohensee]

I read a good point over at Huffington; if we ban transfat for our general saftey, why not ban sodomy? It might infringe on our right to have sex how we want, but it would help stop the spread of AIDS, brining down insurance costs for everyone.

[Dan T.]

And after being bombarded by fast food advertising, poor people have no choice but to eat fast food. The corporate brainwashing is too much for them to resist.

[ChicagoTom]

And don't even get me started on bacon grease. Mmmmm bacon grease.

It's the only thing I use to fry eggs in 🙂

But it appears that people are not always able to practice moderation (and to some extent in our society good food and the means to exercise is a luxury that not all can afford)

Man I hate engaging with Dan but...

You are making bullshit assumptions. How do you know they are unable to practice moderation and not merely unwilling?? In your world is there a difference?? (Obviously not because you advocate mandating things that are "good for people" despite even for people who object)

But the more people do it, the more of an adverse affect it has on others. Pretty simple concept that libertarians don't seem to get.

That's just not true. The more people do it, the more people who are affected adversely (since more people are doing it), but that doesn't imply that bad behavior is contagious and somehow the people who don't do it suffer adverse affect caused by those who do.

And why do you insist on treating people as wards of the state instead of as individuals who have the FSM-given right to make their own decisions, good or bad? When did free will become anathema?? Why is free will only an option as long as people use that free will to make choices you deem appropriate?

Free will....it's a concept that morons like Dan T. refuse to "get".

Nobody normal wants to eat pig shit, but if people WOULD want to eat pig shit, what would be the basis for stopping them?

I have seen enough German-based videos on the internet to feel quite comfortable in asserting that there are in fact people who would want to eat pig-shit or even human shit.

[Dan T.]

And after being bombarded by fast food advertising, poor people have no choice but to eat fast food. The corporate brainwashing is too much for them to resist.

Because poor people are stupid. Protecting the stupid is the job of government.

[Sam Franklin]

The great thing is that if you must have trans fats, you can move to another city. Everybody wins.

Dan T.: I sort of thought you were sorta losin' it. I stand corrected. Good'un.

[Sam Franklin]

Damn, I'm an idiot.

Use the force, Luke.

[Kwix]

Evil Dr. T,
Please tell me how I can join your low cost weight loss program. I will send the $14.95 when I can afford to stop eating at McDonald's.

More importantly, didn't you know that Ramen are deep fried in saturated fat?

[Geof]

The government has no chance of eliminating obesity. A great example is the Army. It has the power to control nearly everything about a soldier's life- it feeds him, makes him exercise, tells him when to sleep, when to work, etc. Yet, there are still fat people in the Army. So it has a weight control program to make them non-fat. This subjects the soldier to medical and nutritional counseling, constant weigh-ins, extra exercise, and the threat of getting kicked out if he doesn't shape up in a certain amount of time. Yet, there are still fat people who then get kicked out. Some people just eat too damn much.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Tasty trans fats? I don't think so. Now, fry up some donuts in lard and you've got something tasty.

Best tostada I ever had was Indian fry bread I bought from a Papago woman the size of a Winnebago in front of San Xavier Mission. The tortilla and the beans were fried in lard. Dam, it was a heart attack on a paper plate.

I remember when trans fats (they weren't called that back then) were going to save us all from the scourge of animal fats and now they've been banned in the Big Apple.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Thowrow:

Beer & Yogurt, man.

1 yogurt for breakfast

1 yogurt for lunch

2 beers for dinner (takes away the hunger pangs and you get a quick buzz because you haven't eaten anything but two yogurts all day)

Guaranteed to melt the pounds away in no time.

[thoreau]

kwix-

Holy shit, ramen is deep fried? Wow.

All I know is that I lost a lot of weight on ramen. 13 pounds in 6 months, 23 pounds in 11 months.

[Dan T.]

Enough with all the impostors. I'm Dan T.

[Dan T.]

No, I'm Dan T.

[Dan T.]

I'm Dan T. and so is my wife!

[Slim and Trim]

Those who stupid and undisciplined enough to eat themseleves into poor health aren't going to be helped by a ban on transfats or any other unhealthy substance. If they can face the consequences of their actions with a modicum of dignity and pay their own medical bills, that's enough for me.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Kwix, you make a good point. All those package noodles like Top Ramen are loaded with fats like Palm Oil. May as well mainline 90 wt gear oil.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Thowrow, cutting down on total calories to the point where you burn more than you take in will result in weight loss even if your eating food that is horrible for you. You could lose weight eating french fries if you didn't eat much of them.

It's kind of like how an F-4 Phantom jet proves that if you push anything fast enough it will fly. Even a brick.

[Isaac Bartram]

Dan T. | December 5, 2006, 4:55pm | #

Ugh, the impersonations are quickly becoming tiresome.

Oh, wow, someone's impersonating Dan T.?

Is there some way to tell the difference?

[Paul]

Our Bodies, Ourselves!

(snort)

I love living so long as to see the left become a parody. Anyways, what's next health fascists?

[Leftist]

Paul

If you live long enough, maybe the cliches you use will be fresh again, but don't count on it.

[Jim Walsh]

I have visions of the Big Apple's greatest chefs and restauranteurs disappearing overnight; and the only thing the disappearances have in common is some guy named Galt...

[thoreau]

Jim, that would actually be pretty cool.

[Guy Montag]

London-Corbin KY is the birthplace of KFC.

[Garth]

I don't care. Just leave me and my Grandma Utz potato chips* alone

*these be the ones still fried in lard....

[Zeno]

Jim Walsh,

Then they bitch about no longer having prep cooks, wait staff, dishwashers, etc.

[John]

"But it appears that people are not always able to practice moderation (and to some extent in our society good food and the means to exercise is a luxury that not all can afford)."

That statement scares the hell out of me and here is why. The same people who support that kind of thinking also support socialized medicine. Put the two together and what do you get? You get the government rationing healthcare based on the lifestyles we lead. The logic is brutally simple; why should we be using scarce healthcare resources to care for some fat bastard who couldn't control his weight? Of course the government will be right there to help those people through coercive measures. I don't think we are all that far from the day when there is government mandatd body fat limits. Of course the whole system will be "voluntary", everyone will have a choice. Of course you will go to the bottom of the government healthcare list if you are overweight and don't paricipate in government mandated diet and exercise program. Everyone else of course will have to take yearly physical exam and have their body mass measured and placed on a mandatory diet list if they don't meet the standard. This is where all this is going and we will no longer be a free country under any meaning of the term when it happens.

[Rhywun]

Just leave me and my Grandma Utz potato chips* alone

Holy crap those are gross. THAT'S what lard tastes like?? Yecch. I like regular Utz though.

[John]

Rywun,

They will get my Salt and Viniger flavored Utz from me when they pry them from my cold dead fingers.

[Rhywun]

This is where all this is going and we will no longer be a free country under any meaning of the term when it happens.

A vision of the TV exercise lady from Fahrenheit 451 just floated through my head. "Bend and twist! Come on, Montag, you can do it!" *shudder*

[Rick Barton]

The authoritarian NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has no right to ban the use of trans fats.

And here is health wisdom:

Trans fats really are terrible for you! In the foods we buy at the store, they are often in the form of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Read the labels and don't buy anything with trans fats or hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils!

Their ingestion has been associated with heart disease:

http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/71/81217.htm?pagenumber=2

[JD]

You know, I really don't get this supposed rationale. Let's grant that if you eat trans fats, you'll get heart disease, and since we have semi-socialized medicine, we all pay for your illness. So if you don't eat trans fats, you'll live forever in perfect health? No, you're still going sicken and die of something, and we'll still have to pay for it. So how exactly is the ban supposed to improve things?

Maybe the Food Nazis would like to think that in the absence of trans fats, everybody will live to the age of 101 in perfect health, and then suddenly drop stone dead, but I kind of doubt it. Are people supposed to live more productive lives without trans fats? Life expectancy in the US is already about 77 years on average, so it's not like a huge number of people in the primes of their lives are dropping dead.

[Pepe]

"You know, I really don't get this supposed rationale. Let's grant that if you eat trans fats, you'll get heart disease, and since we have semi-socialized medicine, we all pay for your illness. So if you don't eat trans fats, you'll live forever in perfect health? No, you're still going sicken and die of something, and we'll still have to pay for it. So how exactly is the ban supposed to improve things?"

Not to mention that people being healthier and living longer costs the government in other ways. More years collecting Social Security, for example.

[mk]

Rhywun,

The Grandma Utz chips are fried in lard. The Utz Kettle crisps are fried in peanut oil. I prefer the Kettle crisps and you probably would as well.

If you eat a French fry, can you tell what it was fried in?"

fuck yeah! you can't?

[Robert]

It is possible to fully hydrogenate oils, but it hasn't been desirable to do so, because people didn't want the fats that hard or that high in saturated fat.

[ed]

Please feed the trolls transfats.
Thank you.

[Sir Disgrace]

Besides, do we really NEED that hamburger? We all would be much better off enjoying a delicious organically grown salad in its place. Good for us, and even better for the environment.

And at that point, we realized Dan is just a big ol' jokester. You really had us going with your liberal act, bud!