Lustre Craft ENews! - Watch For New Food Labeling In 2006!
All labels must include the amount of trans-fats contained in the food. These are altered fats created through manufacturing processes. Our body reacts to these trans-fats in much the same way it does to cholesterol. Looking for foods low in cholesterol is not enough. The words “partially hydrogenated” means the fats have under gone a change that is even more of a health problem than natural saturated fats such as animal fat and butter. These trans-fats have been linked to many negative health issues such as eye disorders, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and inflammation that can aggravate many chronic disorders. The Institute of Medicine recommends that your intake of trans-fats be kept as low as possible, generally under 2-4 grams/day. The wording on products, Trans-Free, can be misleading. It is allowed on labeling for products that have less than .5 grams trans-fat. Look for labels that have 0 trans-fats.
Many foods that previously used “partially hydrogenated oil” in their products, have eliminated oil and fat from the food. Rather than increase the cholesterol with butter, they have opted to go without. Frozen vegetables are now mostly frozen with “nothing added” or “totally fat free.” Isn’t that great! Rather than all the sauces and creams, we can now purchase quality frozen vegetables that are just vegetables. Similarly, many canned products such as beef stew and spaghetti with sauces have eliminated the fat from the product. Do these product taste the same? You will have to be the judge. Are they better for you? By removing empty fat calories, most of us can profit from the reduced calories and only time will tell the long-term effects of less trans-fats in our systems. Since the trans-fats were manufactured and added to our food, this is one more step in returning food to the form in which nature intended it to be eaten.
In a return to basic, down-home cooking, try the featured recipe at www.LustreCraftCookware.com - All-in-One Pork Chop Dinner. This dinner is cooked in the Familie Skillet, has no trans-fats, and will takes 20 minutes from start to finish. It includes lean meat (trimmed pork chop) starch with fiber (potatoes with skins), color that provides phytochemicals (slice of tomato and broccoli spears), and it all cooks in just 15 minutes. If you are a meat and potatoes family, this recipe is for you!
