Quote from Richard Seah’s Health Promotion Blog
In India, a 1968 study found North Indians, who ate more meat and used mainly ghee (clarified butter) for cooking, had 17 times more saturated fats in their diets than South Indians, who were more vegetarians. However, North Indians had seven times less heart disease than Indians in the South.
This was because, by the late 60s, South Indians had started the switch from coconut oil, which contains about 90 percent saturated fats, to margarine and other polyunsaturated vegetable oils.
More recent studies show that North Indians are finally begin to catch up with the South in heart disease rates – because North Indians have started to use less ghee and more margarine and vegetable oils.
This article is not about the dangers of vegetarianism or why meat-eating is good. With this article, I wish to highlight the health dangers that our vegetarian friends (esp. in the Chinese Mahayana tradition) may find themselves in because of the possibility of higher amounts of trans fat in their diet.
A quick search in the internet will reveal dozen of articles on the dangers of trans fat. Also recently there has been strong debates in the forum page of the Straits Times calling for more to be done about the issue of trans fat. The perception from the public about the Health Promotion Board (HPB) seems to be that they are siding with the inconvenience for the food manufacturers instead of the health of the average Singaporeans. The HPB have announce an initiative of positive labelling, but this has it loop holes and may do more harm than good.
From young, most of us are told that saturated fats (like butter and animal fats) causes heart disease and that margarine is good you. The anti-saturated fats health craze have caused a lot of food manufacturers and traditional foods to be replaced by its substitutes, like margarine and vegetable shortenings and consumers have been lapping up on such substances ever since.
Over the years, however, health findings on substances like margarine showed that it may well be bad for our health instead of doing any good. Why would non-saturated fats from vegetable oil be bad for you?
Vegetable oil by themselves are in liquid form. However, in order for them to be useful as shortening or to have consistency of butter, these oils have to be converted to a hardened form. The basic process it goes through is called partial hydrogenation. The vegetable oil is put through various chemical processes in this conversion process into hard vegetable oils. This changed the properties of the vegetable oil into trans-fatty acid or trans fat.
Research have shown that trans fat not only decreases your good cholesterol, but also increases your bad cholesterol, unlike saturated fats which increases both good and bad cholesterol in your body and which have essential functions. Trans fat have no essential function in the body at all. In fact, trans fat is now blamed for the increase in heart diseases in the US.
Unfortunately because of the properties of these partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil, they make ideal substitute for butter as shortening for making cakes, cookies (think oreos), crusts, pastries, noodles, etc and even surpass butter in it. Our favourite non-diary creamer (coffee mate) also contains trans fat. To highlight the longevity of food products made from trans fat, Bonnie Minsky have been carrying around cupcakes made 25 years and they still looks as fresh as yesterday. Now imagine the same substance travelling in your body.
WHO recommends less than 1% of trans fat in total fat per serving and 10% from saturated fat. Just looking at the recommended percentages, trans fat is at least 10 times more harmful to the human body than saturated fat. Not only that, as its explained by some sites, 1% of trans fat is actually not a healthy level, a healthy level is 0%, whereas 10% of saturated fat is the level that keeps the body healthy.
We may see many food package with “No Trans Fat” in the label, but with partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil in its ingredients. What this means is not that it does not have trans fat, rather it can report 0% trans fat because its per serving size is below the requirements. However depending on the serving size, we may take more than one serving and cumulatively the total trans fat intake may exceed the recommendation!
There is now an alternative to trans fat called fully-hydrogenated vegetable oil, which does not contain trans fat. It supposedly will not be absorbed by the body. However, because it is so hard, it has to be blended with other vegetable oil to be eatable. Whether it contains trans fat or not, do you want this in your body too?
Why should vegetarians be more aware of trans fat issue?
It may be true as HPB claims that the average Singaporean’s diet is more high in saturated fats than trans fat. However, vegetarians are not your average Singaporeans, in general they don’t take in high amounts of saturated fats (unlike they take a lot of coconut or palm oils). What this means is that the average vegetarians have higher exposure to trans fat than the average meat-eating Singaporeans.
Foo those vegetarians to take up the diet due to concerns for health, animals and the earth. I can be quite certain that they also make quite a conscious effort to know about the state of the food they eat. However, for some of those who become vegetarians primary for religious or tradition reasons, they may not have created such awareness of food health within their diet requirements. As such, they may see any forms of vegetable oil as healthier and also within the scope of their religious practice.
The main fat intake from the vegetarian diet is thus vegetable-derived fats. Butter and other animal fats is not an option as alternative in the vegetarian diet. This significantly narrows the choice of fats available for them. As a result, food products like cakes, pastries and snacks which could be made from butter or ghee are made from margarine instead. On top of that partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil is already a very common ingredient in many non-meat food products that you can in the supermarkets and shops and to an average vegetarian, its something that they can eat.
With higher exposure to trans fat, it may be possible that some average vegetarian’s daily intake of trans fat exceeds the recommendation. As a result, vegetarians may find themselves in the high risk group for heart disease over time instead of becoming healthier!
It it, thus, important for the Buddhists community whilst trying to promote vegetarianism, they should also create the awareness of health issues like trans fat within a vegetarian diet.
At the end of the day, as with all good health sense, its always good advise to eat food that are unaltered by chemical processes state as much as possible.
Related links:
Health Promotion Board link to trans fat
Stop Trans Fat site
A Clooge professor once told me in 1972 that if you leave a stick of butter and margarine on the window ledge the bugs will only eat the butter and not the margarine.
Indeed, as the saying goes “Anything that bugs and animals don’t eat, I don’t think its good for me to eat!”
Hydrogenated vegetable oil brand name Dalda was made a household name by Hindustan Lever — a subsediary of Unilever. Dalda brand is now sold and the new company is working at removing the trans fat from the formulation.
Vanaspati as Dalda was known as was a huge hit in vegetarian India. It is almost impossible to avoid trans fat in India if you are eating outside.
The non diary creamer I use (COMPLETA) only has hardened vegetable fat listed in the ingredients. What is this? I live in Europe where it is not required by law to have the Trans Fats clearly listed.
As far I know, vegetable fat by themselves are generally liquid at room temperature. The sure way to harden them is to freeze them! However, if they are somehow hardened at room temperature, some chemical process must be involved to make them hard at room temperature. Not forgetting that partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil IS hardened vegetable oil, which contained trans fat. Of course, vice versa, may not be true.
If its up to me, I would try to skip it as I am not sure what the ingredients are. Best is to write to the manufacturer and as them what exactly is hardened vegetable fat. Also even if it is possible to hardened vegetable fat without creating trans fat, who knows what other things it can create instead?
i hav gone through blog its good and This article is not about the dangers of vegetarianism or why meat-eating is good. With this article, I wish to highlight the health dangers that our vegetarian friends (esp. in the Chinese Mahayana tradition) may find themselves in because of the possibility of higher amounts of trans fat in their herf=”http://loweringcholesterolhelp.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-healthy-cholesterol-levels/how-to-distinguish-low-cholesterol-food-12/”>diet
Trans fat naturally occurs in some foods, like butter, but are also formed in the processing of some foods where product texture and shelf life are desired. I’ve learned a lot about this subject because I work with the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers. In addition, heart disease runs in my family so I’ve got a personal interest in this subject as well.
Have you looked at a margarine label lately? You won’t find any soft or liquid margarine that contain trans fat, and trans fat levels of stick margarines have been greatly reduced. Using new technologies, margarine manufacturers have met the challenge and eliminated or reduced trans fat in margarine products, making a good product even better. In fact, the margarine industry has led the food industry in removing trans fat content from its products. Soft, liquid and spray margarine products are now in sync with the recommendations included in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid food guidance system. Soft margarine products were elevated in their importance in that they “help meet essential fatty acid needs and also contribute toward Vitamin E needs” according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report.
When comparing margarine to butter, many margarine products are the recommended alternative as stated by of the American Heart Association, as well as the Federal government’s National Cholesterol Education Program. And yes, it’s still an economical choice for the consumer. For more information, visit http://margarine.org/qanda.html, http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/cholmonth/chol_kit.htm and http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000.
Emma,
You say “you won’t find any … margarine that contain trans fat” but it’s not true.
I am looking at a margarine label now, and despite saying 0g trans fats, I see PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL in the ingredient list. This is the very definition of trans fat. Perhaps this manufacturer (Country Crock) didn’t get the memo.
Part of the heart disease problem is the fact that margarines contribute to the 30:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturates in the American diet. Butter has about a 2:1 ratio of the same (and much less of it, too!).
Polyunsaturated fats oxidize more quickly than any other fats, especially saturated fats, which oxidize most slowly. Oxidized, rancid fats contribute to heart disease. Margarine and oil companies remove the vital antioxidants from vegetables when they extract the oils, and they throw the best parts of the food away.
It’s time to see margarines and vegetable oils as part of the problem, not the solution. Eat whole unprocessed foods instead of margarine and oils. Instead of believing the hype, you should start reading the studies.
Eating in moderation both plant and meat natural foods is necessary for optimum health. Abstaining from eating meat and dairy is a religion and has nothing to do with what the human body needs to optmize health. Moderation is the key to good health not religion.
Nourish your body with fruits and vegetables and twice a week with meat.And I consider small snack is ok.
any food hydrogenated contains ‘trace’ catalyst and can be harnful.
transfats may be increasing in bloodstream due to nikel catalysts used in hydrogenation process.
Thanks for the interesting article. Vegetarians are often unhealthy because of the high level of carbohydrates ingested too. Asian vegetarians also eat a lot of mock meat which isn’t very healthy. If it wasn’t for my religion, i would definitely not be vegetarian!