Akesunflower,

I have not noticed a difference in the taste or "workability" of my icing made with the trans fat free Crisco - and neither has anyone else!

~Chelle

I must say I am all for trying to do the small steps to make us a bit healthier.....I have been really noticing trans fats these days....and trying my best to eliminate them from my home.....but I also know that moderation, like anything is key....the trans fats have not made me fat....its my genetics and lack of serious exercising (we all know people who can eat whatever they want and stay rail thin....d&mn them) but for most of us that is not the case. I rarely ever fry anything, I try not to make dinners out of boxes (but do on occassion), I cut out caffiene (one of my last big vices) and really do try...but its a struggle. But we all have to do what is right for our families...and thank goodness we still have the freedom to do so.

Thanks Chelleb1974, I had decided to try some next time I make a cake to see if it was as good as the regular. I'm glad it is! Thanks for sharing that info!

Now they need to package it in the 3lb can instead of the 1lb can!!! I have 7 cakes to do between now and Christmas and I bought 12 cans last night!! Boy did I get a look from the cashier!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - I love that answer!!!!!

They will be banning trans fats from restaurant use. Which makes sense, since you cant tell what type of fat they have used in the food you order. If you really want transfats you will still be able go out and get all you want from the supermarket where the food is labeled.

I doubt they will be finding out the trans fats are good for you in the future. I started reducing trans fats in my diet back in the mid-1970's. This is nothing new, there is over thirty years of research showing how incredibly bad these fats are for you.

Smart Balance has made a trans fats free shortening for several years now. I used it to make frosting and think its much better than standard Crisco (no greasy feel on the roof of your mouth). And of course Crisco now makes a trans fat free shortening. Though nothing beat butter for taste (IMHO).

I think in general we are too fat phobic but these types of fats are really bad for you.

Tammy

You know I think its great that the government cares about our health, but I wish they would put that energy into caring about our lives and the threats to our country. It won't matter if we are healthy when there are people out there that want us dead. We have all been given the information about what is good and what is bad, as mature adults we have to make that personal decision do what is good or do what is bad, it is our choice. We also know that if we are plagued with bad genes, we can perhaps offset some of it but certainly not all. We know that good choices and getting off our duffs every once in awhile will help us, and setting examples in our children will help them in their later years.

This will be an interesting debate to watch. I agree our health is important, but where do you draw the line. If they ban this are they going to ban smoking (cancer and lung disease) or alcohol ( drunk drivers, liver disease)? Will they ban sugar (diabetes)? I think listing ingredients is very important. Then you can choose what you want to eat. Of course youre going to get fat and unhealthy if your eating hight fat foods all the time, trans fat or just regular. You have to know that eating a McDonalds every day isn't a smart move! I think moderation is the key! Also, I think much more attention needs to be payed to physical activity. They have all but removed PE from schools. We are a nation of overweight underactive people but they aren't banning sitting on you couch all day watching tv!

Ooh so much to respond to - I wonder how much you can type in one response?

I don't think people are just paranoid of fat - it's just called "trans-fat" it's a chemically altered fat is it not? And it truly is bad - those that have said this research has been around for several years are correct - only several years ago anyone that believed in this was called "a health nut" or some kind of freak b/c it wasn't in the media and people think that if something is in the media it's true and if it isn't, then it must not be true. Which is a horrible way of living your life b/c a LOT of the media is not true, or facts or left out, or things are spun to make a bigger "story". The truth is - Trans fats are bad - and have been for a long time - but no one was doing anything about it until now.

Jan's right - there are trasn-free shortenings out there. I don't think Crisco is the best though. I'm using Spectrum which I just saw at Kroger stores and before that at Meijer. True, it may be a little more expensive - but you've only got one body, right? So you should try to take care of it so you can do all the things you want to do like run with your kids or live long enough to see them get married.... I believe someone else mentioned another brand of trans-fat-free shortening as well. I don't notice a difference at all in the taste except that it's a little ligher tasting in my opinion. Still works great!

I agree it is hard to "Draw the line". And we should be able to trust people to take care of themselves.... the sad truth is that there are a LOT of people who don't take care of themselves - simply b/c they are lazy, are unedcuated, or poor. The poor can only afford what's at McDonald's and other fast food places sometimes. So it's not fair always to say "well you should be able to choose for yourself what you eat". Some people don't always have much of a choice - what about the kids who have a single mother who works after they get home from school and so they only thing they can eat is some frozen pizza or something like that b/c mom works two jobs just to keep them alive? It's here when I think it's great that the governement is stepping in to try and help out these people who have fewer choices to stay healthy. And what is it costing us in tax dollars to pay for the medical care of some people who can't afford it and who are eating trans-fats b/c they can't afford any other option? It's going to cost us somewhere along the line - either in our own health or in our tax dollars. And there are MANY stupid people out there - yep we've all run into them (not that there's any here ) but sometimes I think the government needs to help these people out b/c they are just absolutely clueless.

And I know the alcohol prohibition didn't really go so well but sometimes I wish that it had.... and that we could ban smoking as well. These things kill - why do we allow them? Now many adults are responsible w/ their alcohol but there are a LOT who aren't - and a lot of KIDS who aren't.... it's another drug sometimes in my opinion - and it can be very deadly either from drinking too much and overloading yourself with toxins, or b/c you wake up next to someone you don't know and don't know what you did, or you drive and kill someone..... like I said, there are responsible people out there but sometimes I think they are few and far between.

One last thing - do we want the government regulating our diets? I don't know - that might be easier than trying to figure out new food pyramids or what's healthy and what's not and which are the good carbs.... heck if I had a diet plan to follow for everyday handed down by the best people in the country in nutrition who really know their stuff - I think I'd be greatful I didn't have to figure it all out on my own anymore! It's hard to keep up with the newest research sometimes and sometimes it's just hard to figure out what to eat for dinner! I don't know that it would be that bad - now if they were completely regulating it to the point where they sent you your "meals" for the day.. hmm no cooking - I don't know if I'd mind that either I'm sure there's drawbacks to it too - like what if you're vegetarian or you don't like pork or something (which I don't) - you should still have some choices......

I totally agree that they need to have more education in schools about physical fitness and there's no way they should cut that out of our school curriculums. However, I don't know if "recess" is as important b/c at recess when I was little I sat and did my homework so I'd have more free time at home (yep it sounds dorky but I didn't really have many friends and at least I had a lot of free time when I got home to do what I wanted). So I wasn't running around and playing or exercising at all - and there were a few kids who joined me or who just wanted to read a book instead of running around. SO a physical education class is very important to teach kids about movement, sports, teamwork, etc. - there's good social skills and physical skills that are needed.

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I TOTALLY agree! I WISH there was food around here that was healthy! Even Panera isn't the greatest food and that's about the ONLY "healthy" place we have around here. There are nights when you're too tired to cook - or you just want to go out with friends for a meal but you don't want to walk away from it w/a heart attack or clogged arteries.... and with restaurants you truly never know what you're going to get. I feel outraged when I find out a single meal at some restaurants includes more calories and fat then you are supposed to have in an entire day! People don't know that when they choose to eat it most of the time. And really truly who can balance that out? You don't eat anything all day long so you can eat dinner out in case your plate of food has 5000 calories? And then what - don't eat the next day at all? That's why i want to live in California or New York sometimes - there seems to be much more healthy options there. For now, I'm just trying to do it all on my own.

Alright! If you've read this far - congratulations! Now go and exercise b/c you've been sitting here reading this too long And that's the last of what I have to say on the subject

It ain't cheap eating at McDonalds. It is not the poor persons only option. I worked 12-18hrs a day to support my boys. I left breakfast on the stove and dinner in the fridge. Cooking at home was cheaper than going out, which was reserved for payday. Education on nutrition is imperative at a young age and all education begins in the home. It is a parents responsibility to teach their children. For those children that don't have the luxury of responsible parents then most schools do teach nutrition and most tv programs for kids also include a segment on nutrition and exercise (along with the million commercials for junk food).

It is not only the poor or un-educated that eat junk, I worked for a doctor whose children were fed take out and candy non stop cause mom didn't want to cook or hassle with the kids and Doc allowed it cause he didn't want to hassle with wife.

I AGREE trans fat is bad, but it is MY responsibility to eat right and exercise not my neighbors and not the govt. I say "get your drawers in order before trying to tell me what to put in mine". (the govt., no one person in particular

Dolfin, I agree. We hardly ever eat out! It costs too much, even at McDonalds! It costs much less to eat at home, so the "poor people are fat because they can only eat fast food" doesn't fly.

Now that the Government has given us all the information we need to know about trans fat (BTW, it's info that we already knew), maybe they can now shut up and leave us alone.. !!! and let us live our own lives and not living it for us.

I think it's ridiculous! We can all decide for ourselves what we want to eat and what we don't want to eat. It's like people suing McDonalds for making them fat.

Ok, now saying all that I hope everyone has a happy and HEALTHY christmas and New Year. Joy and Peace to all and your loved ones.

Gotta get off the computer and do some work, see you after the new year. norma

So many of you keep saying that it's your responsibility to eat healthy, and to make your own choices. Well, what choice does my five year old son get to make. He lives with his father, because the judga in the town I grew up in is anti-military, and my husband is military, therfore he can't live with us, anyway....His father takes him to McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and the list goes on and on, EVERY DAY!!!!! Usually two times or more a day. How is that letting my son have the choice of what to eat???

At my house he eats no trans-fat, mostly organic, and overall healthy. Three cups milk, two cups juice everyday, after that water. He knows this and has no problem with it. I don't see how at his fathers house he has a choice in what to eat. He doesn't, he eats what his dad feeds him, and now my five year old son weighs in at 66 pounds. For those of you who don't know, that is off the charts for a five year old.

Yes, I live with the constant fear that my son will develop diabetes. His father is weighing in at over 400 pounds. I know that is his own choice, but my son has no choice and is on the way to ending up just like his father.

SO I SAY HOORAY to the government for standing up for kids who have no choice, but have to eat like that. I applaud all the single parents who actually care about their kids health and don't take the easy way out of just grabbing fast food. I understand that it is a choice for you ladies, but it is not a choice for the kids who have to eat this everyday, because their parent/s make them. This is just one more thing we can do to help them.

Then tell your husband to make the right choice for your son since your husband is the adult . But for us who can make our own choices, then we will choose for ourselves. It's that simple.

I'm from Indiana- one of THE FATTEST states around. i know transfats are bad, but why not have the restaurants label on the menu "contains transfats" "transfats" free. I'm sorry, but i do believe like most of you it's not necessarily the type of fat but the amount. you put in more than you burn and you wil get FAT, no matter what you are eating. i think i'm more afraid of high fructose corn syrup- that's another man made thing that your body doesn't know what to do with.i've always said i'd rather drink a regular soda and take a walk than mess with all the concoctions we've come up with to make things taste better/last longer, etc.

Another thing to consider is what about financial responsibility?

I can understand people wanting the freedom to eat themselves obese if that's their choice but what about the rest of us that end up paying for their medical costs with our tax dollars?

Where is the line drawn there? It doesn't seem fair to have to pay for people that just won't eat healthier cause they don't have to. They know if they get sick from it someone will pick up the tab. I'm sure this is one of the reasons the govt decided it needed to step in.


Shouldn't those tax dollars go to people who want to live and care about their future?

BUT at the same time lets keep in mind that as humans it is our responsibility to care for those that cannot help being overweight or obese because of medical reasons unrelated to their diet or exercise regimen.

I am having so much fun on this....

Anyway, have a very nice week-end ya'll.... :lol: