Singing about Hydrogenated Oils

 - by KitchenPantryScientist

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When I’m not busy with my kids or blogging, one of my favorite things to do is sing with my neighborhood garage/party band, ” The 952″.  Recently, I got the chance to perform for a bigger audience when “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter!”  sent my fellow blogger and good friend unplannedcooking.com a Flip video camera. They asked her to create and film a commercial for their new “Turn the Tub Around” campaign, advertising their new, healthier product which does not contain any  hydrogenated oils* and is therefore trans-fat free. 

Jennifer let me in on the fun, and with the help of a few friends, we managed to juggle our kids and our schedules just long enough to put a video together.  Not only did we sing for the video, we had to learn a signature dance move (and I am NOT a great dancer.)  Incredibly, we just found out that our video is a finalist in the video contest.  We’re up against some very talented competition, but there’s a chance that part of our homespun video might air on a commercial during American Idol next Tuesday, Jan.12th.   You will be able to view our video beginning on Jan.19th on the “Watch, Vote and Win Sweepstakes” at www.turnthetubaround.com.  Check it out for a glimpse of a couple of  moms acting like kids!  You’ll also have a chance to win great prizes every time you vote for your favorite video!  Hopefully, it will be ours.

Now for the science.  Here’s your biochemistry lesson for the day:  There are four kinds of fats: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are considered to be the “good” fats in the human diet (think olive oil.)   It is generally accepted that consumption of saturated fat should be kept low, especially for adults. Trans fat (which means trans fatty acids) is the considered the least healthy type of fat, far worse than saturated fat.  Partial hydrogenation is an industrial process used to make vegetable oils, like soybean oil, into a less healthy product containing transfats.  The process is used to make an oil more solid; provide longer shelf-life in baked products; provide longer fry-life for cooking oils, and provide a certain kind of texture or “mouthfeel.” The problem is that partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is laden with trans fat, which has been linked to health problems.  In fact, there are currently several campains calling for the ban of partially hydrogenated oils.  You, of course, have to decide what is best for you and your family.  If you’re curious, there is much more specific information online about the health effects of transfats.

Note:  The free video Flip camera was sent in exchange for our participation in the contest and I LOVE it!  It’s small enough to fit in my purse and plugs right into my USB port to download videos.

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