Here is an article that may interest some folk:

Diet foods that can wreck your diet

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/gh/eatwell/health/a9diet11.htm

Now, what about one of the greatest confidence tricks in the health food 
business, namely that of the use of "partially hydrogenated" oils or fats 
instead of unprocessed fats or oils?  Almost every margarine or dairy 
alternative that is touted as being safer than butter or full fat diary 
products for the heart and for lowering elevated cholesterol contains 
partially hydrogenated fats.

Nobody has ever yet defined what is meant by the word "partially" but, if one 
is to judge by the guarded responses of manufacturers, this term could apply 
as legally to 90% hydrogenation as to 5% hydrogenation.  Apparently, the 
degree of hydrogenation certainly is above the 50% mark.  Why does the FDA 
not require by law exactly what the degree of hydrogenation is?  Or why does 
it not require the label to state that "any statement claiming that this 
product is of benefit in preventing heart disease has not been evaluated by 
the FDA", as is the case on vitamins and herbs?  

To me, this smatters of enormous hypocrisy and possible victimisation of 
alternative health companies, since there is no incontrovertible proof that 
any of the allegedly heart friendly products on the market are beneficial for 
the heart.  Even the great cholesterol scare has not been definitively 
established and there certainly are competing theories of cardiac disease.  
Even the claims that large salt intake causes heart disease and high blood 
pressure have not been universally accepted.  

It is about time that the FDA (Food & Drug Administration in the USA) and 
health profession started to be more critical of others besides the 
alternative specialists, for their house is far from being in immaculate 
order.

After all, medical research lately has been expressing great concern that 
heated and hydrogenated oils, even if they come from unsaturated sunflower, 
canola (rape seed) or flax oils, may pose an even greater risk for the heart 
than butter and animal fat.  This is because the heating or hydrogen 
processes can create transfats, which are now being implicated as players in 
the onset of heart disease and cancer.  

Whether these fears are going to be proved true or not, the fact appears to 
be, that hydrogenated and heated fats, at very best, are no better for us 
than genuine dairy products.

If you read many of the labels for butter substitutes, energy bars and health 
cereals, you will often note the presence of palm and coconut oils, which are 
higher in saturated fats than butter.  How the manufacturers can tout their 
wares as being better than so-called unhealthy foods or full dairy products 
is amazing.  Start reading those labels and see if you really need to be 
wasting your money and time on these "health" foods or "heart friendly" foods!

If you are worried about dairy fat intake, just decrease the quantity of 
butter and fats that you ingest and, if necessary, make your own mix of cold 
pressed, raw olive or other unsaturated oils and butter or even keep these 
oils in the deep freeze and smear on just like butter.   I even make a 
delicious popcorn with a hot air popper (microwaved popcorn tastes like 
cardboard) sprinkled with a light cold pressed olive oil well shaken in and I 
now even prefer this to buttered popcorn.

Most of the dairy substitutes probably are a total waste of money and 
possibly even worse for your health than the good old natural products used 
in moderation.

Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA
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