Avoiding Trans-fats? Avoid Whole Foods!
Most of us know the damage trans-fats can do as they are linked to coronary artery disease (CAD). And most of us know how to avoid them by looking for trans-fats in the ingredients list.
However I am disgusted at how, to the untrained eye, Whole Foods looks like a health wonderland. Unfortunately you’re getting a lot more trans-fats for your hard earned money than wholesome keep-you-healthy ingredients.
Where they are lurking…
My biggest issue is Whole Foods’ hot bar. Why? Because most of the dishes on that bar contain canola oil.
Canola oil is one of the most common health-food posers to date. Not only is 90% of our supply genetically modified (GMO), but it’s naturally high in erucic acid which has been linked to growth retardation (& illegal to use in baby formula) but canola oil also contains trans-fats.
A good rule of thumb is to always know what you’re eating. For example, if a label lists olive oil – you know what olives are. If it lists sesame seed oil – you know what sesame seeds are.
What’s a canola?
Well, there’s no such thing.
Canola oil comes from the rapeseed, but for marketing purposes they changed the name. (Good call on that one.) In rapeseed’s mass production process to extract the oil from the seed it must undergo high temperatures and deodorization. The high temperatures & processing make the oil turn rancid which causes it to have an unpleasant odor. When canola oil is deodorized to remove the smell, it alters the fatty acid profile from omega-3 fats to trans-fatty acids, i.e. trans fats.
Unfortunately you won’t find trans-fats on any canola oil label because it’s not an added ingredient but rather a change that occurs during processing. Canola companies out of Canada stated that canola oil contains only up to 0.2% trans fats; however, research out of the University of Florida at Gainsville found that trans-fat levels as high as 4.6 percent in commercial canola oil we’d find on the shelf.
The FDA has finally banned the use of trans-fats in foods because they are no longer “generally recognized as safe”. Companies have till June 2018 to remove trans-fats from their products. However, this new law will not affect the trans-fat amount found in canola oil.
Live It!
There are two things I strive to do: eat healthy & not break the bank.
The next time you need to run out for a quick healthy meal, don’t feel like you’re in the safe-zone by running to Whole Foods and grabbing something off the hot bar. If you’re going to eat food with canola oil in it anyway, you might as well find a place more affordable. Just because Whole Foods is twice the price, smells of essential oils and sets the atmosphere for everything healthy – it’s not. Mama always said, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” – and Whole Foods is no exception.
Have you found anything surprising at Whole Foods?
References:
https://www.rt.com/usa/267580-trans-fats-ban-fda/
(1) Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “All about Oil”.
