Sunday, July 3, 2011

Get To Know Your Food


So a few days ago we read about the hydrogenation process. If you stuck with me long enough to read the whole article, you know how disgusting and unsafe hydrogenated oils are. You know that hydrogenated oils equal deadly trans fats. That is an absolute fact. Even if the label says "Zero Trans Fat", rest assured it's still there. We'll discuss how that works later.

But margarine is not the only food containing hydrogenated oil. In fact, you can find it hidden in many of the foods we consume. Many of which, seem "healthy" or are part of a low fat or low calorie diet.

So what are Americans to do? We are busy. We like Cheap and Convenient. The answer is this: stay educated and informed, and make substitutions.

After some health scares a couple of years ago, my friends Sara and Marty-Marr totally revamped the way they eat. They exercise regularly and vigorously, and they read the label on everything now. They buy almost nothing containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Did they eliminate these foods from their diet? No. They have merely substituted real food for non-foods. Here's a perfect example, and a great place to start:

Eliminate Non Dairy Whipped Topping

Non Dairly Whipped Topping is an ingredient in many Weight Watcher recipes. It's very low calorie and it tastes great. Nothing goes better on top of a cool summer dessert, than a big dollop of the stuff. Personally, I love it. I can just have a big spoonful of it and be happy! But read the label...Non Dairy Whipped Topping contains hydrogenated vegetable oil. Let's face it....Non Dairy Whipped Topping couldn't have existed a few decades ago, because it is not real food.

A great substitution: Real whipped cream. If you don't want to use the canned version, do like Sara (and all the pastry chefs in the world) and whip up a fresh batch to top your desserts. A little fresh whipping cream (or light whipping cream) poured in to the mixer, and in a a couple of minutes you have real food. You can also add a dash of vanilla and sugar, but it is not required. It's not as Cheap, and it's not as Convenient....but it is real food. And it's delicious!!

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