Help Ban TRANS FATS in RI restaurants

I've been very interested in helping stop the use of trans-fats in restaurants here in RI. As you are likely well aware these play into a host of serious and life threatening medical conditions, including but not limited to heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, arterial damage, and many more listed below.

Why I am concerned is that as a health conscious individual while I can moniter how I prepare foods at home and which foods I choose to purchase, restaurants can put these transfats in foods which we the customer are unaware.

I would like to mobilize our elected officials and state government to follow NYC and the discussions in MA re banning trans fat use from restaurants. Please help me do so by contacting your elected officials, and the RI Dept of Health. There is also the RI Dietetic Association at www.eatrightri.org

Below is an email re this from Rep Kennedy...

You can find your elected official at http://www.ri.gov/government/index.php?subcategory=29&linkgroup=3


This is the top 10 list of where you're most likely to get your trans fats:

1. Margarine. Try to choose tub margarine, which will have the least amount of both trans and saturated fats.
2. Packaged foods. Things like cake mixes, Bisquick, they tend to add fat into the mix. Do-it-yourself baking allows you to reduce the fat.
3. Soups. Both dried and liquid soups can contain very high levels of trans fats. Try making your own.
4. Fast food. Primarily I mean those foods deep-fat fried, even when some chains indicate they use liquid oil instead of partially hydrogenated oil sometimes trans fats are sprayed on products in the food manufacturing. Order grilled chicken or skip the fries.
5. Frozen food. This included products from frozen dinners to frozen chicken, frozen breaded fish or chicken, pizzas. Check the label. Even if it says low fat, it can still have trans fat. Choose frozen food with the lowest grams of total fat.
6. Baked goods. Donuts, cookies, cakes, frostings, all have plenty of trans fats. Make them at home or eat them less often or in smaller quantities.
7. Candy and cookies. Lots of trans fats lurking in this area. If it contains chocolate or coconut or other high-fat items, satisfy your sweet tooth with things like hard candies or jelly beans, which don't have any fat.
8. Chips and crackers. Go for baked if you must have your chips. Choose low-fat crackers. Think pretzels and other alternatives that have no fat.
9. Breakfast food. From cereals to breakfast bars, trans fats can be found in this category. You need to read the label and choose cereals that have no fat and breakfast and granola bars that are low in fat.
10. Toppings, dips, and condiments. These would be things like salad dressing, mayonnaise, gravy, whipped toppings, nondairy creamers, hot fudge. Wherever you can, try to substitute a lower-fat alternative. For example, use oil and vinegar instead of a creamy salad dressing; low-fat milk instead of nondairy creamers.

Definition of Trans fat

Trans fat: An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fatty acid, made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. Trans fat is found in vegetable shortenings and in some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods.

Trans fats are also found in abundance in "french fries." To make vegetable oils suitable for deep frying, the oils are subjected to hydrogenation, which creates trans fats. Among the hazards of fast food, "fries" are prime in purveying trans fats.

Trans fats wreak havoc with the body's ability to regulate cholesterol. In the hierarchy of fats, the polyunsaturated fats which are found in vegetables are the good kind; they lower your cholesterol. Saturated fats have been condemned as the bad kind. But trans fats are far worse. They drive up the LDL ("bad") cholesterol. which markedly increases the risk of coronary artery heart disease and stroke. According to a recent study of some 80,000 women, for every 5% increase in the amount of saturated fat a woman consumes, her risk of heart disease increases by 17%. But only a 2% increase in trans fats will increase her risk of heart disease by 93%!

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Forwarded Message:
Subj: Re: Question re RI Govt..
Date: 12/27/2006 12:47:32 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From: rep_kennedy_rilin_state_ri_us@yahoo.com
To: TJFronczak@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)

Dear Tom,
I've been following with interest the recent New York City transfat ban and the discussions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a possible statewide ban on transfats in prepared foods. I would expect that a couple of similar bills will be introduced in Rhode Island during the 2007 session.

Within Rhode Island State Government, the best place to inquire about healthy eating issues, is the Department of Health. I don't know if they're focused on the transfat issue at this point in time, but I'd say that would be the first avenue to pursue.


Department of Health
Office of Food Protection
Room 203
3 Capitol Hill
Providence, RI
02908-5097
(401) 222-2749
FAX:(401) 222-4775
Ernest Julian, Ph.D., Chief

Sincerely,
Brian Patrick Kennedy
District 38-State Representative
Chairman-House Committee on Corporations

TJFronczak@aol.com wrote:
Dear Rep. Kennedy

Quick question.. Just talking with family and friends about the trans fat ban in restaurants in NYC... Its a great idea we all thought having just found out that one of our favorite pizza places uses trans fat in their pizza dough and to grease their pizza pans! Trans fat! And we never knew.

Who or what is the best branch of RI Govt to send letters, email to to try to get a similar ban here in RI?

Thanks for your help and attention to this matter.