Trans fats are back in the news with a vengeance.
I didn't go back and research this, but remember how a few years everyone (or the media, at least) was freaking out about trans fats, and then a bunch of restaurants & companies said, ‘Hey, we took all of the trans fats out of our foods,’ implying that their foods were now good for you, but it turned out they were still unhealthy? It seemed like the most of the public panic about trans fats dissipated after that episode.
Obviously trans fats should be avoided or eaten in moderation but getting rid of them is not the key to a healthy lifestyle.
But this week the FDA announced that it plans to seriously limit the amount of trans fats allowed in foods. Banning trans fats would change the essential yummy goodness of foods like doughnuts, popcorn, cake frosting and Doughboy-type products.
Obnoxiously, USA Today tried to hypnotize readers into thinking that they don’t really care if trans fats are banned; as their headline puts it, 'Trans Fat Doesn't Stir Much Nanny State Debate.' See, nobody really cares if trans fats are banned … but, oh, what’s this: a Pew Research poll finds that 52% of Americans are against banning trans fats (breaking down to a clear majority among Republicans and a slight majority among Democrats).
Don’t be fooled into thinking that most people don’t care if certain foods are banned; it’s just not the biggest problem on their minds. Right now, millions of Americans are more worried about losing the healthcare plans that they were promised they could keep.
Here's Pat and Stu's take on the whole situation:
