The Good News:

Research from the University of Minnesota’s Nutrition Coordinating Center has shown major chains significantly reducing their use of oils containing trans fat in French fries and other food during the past 10 years. Unfortunately, picky eaters love fast foods, especially French fries.

So what’s the big deal about trans fat? Trans fat is far worse than natural saturated fat ever could be. The production process of injecting liquid fats with hydrogen gas converts them into indigestible trans fatty acids. Trans fat can’t be metabolized in the human body.

In fact, trans fat has a half life of 51 days. That means three months after consuming trans fat, you’re body is still dealing with it.

Only let a kid tell you what he wants for dinner…if he’s paying.

Trans fat molecules are absorbed into your cells, compromising the cell’s metabolism. Trans fat lowers the HDL (good cholesterol) and increases the LDL (bad cholesterol), leading to heart disease. In pregnant women, trans fat, like alcohol, drugs, carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke, and pesticides, pass through the placenta to the baby, affecting the baby’s metabolism in direct proportion to the amount ingested by the mother. In addition, there’s a correlation between trans fat and Type 2 Diabetes.

To make matters worse, trans fat inhibits the absorption of vitamin K (vital for bone growth). Trans fat is a toxin interfering with all membrane function.

In a press release from the University of Minnesota, lead researcher Lisa Harnack said the center maintains a food and nutrient database that goes back to the 1970s. ”We’re able to go back in time and compare the present with the past,” she said. “And we did that in looking at fast-food restaurants,” Harnack said. “We found fast-food restaurants are making big improvements in the frying oils, with trans fat going down in most of the restaurants–as well as saturated fat, either going down or staying the same.”

I always say you vote with your dollar. When enough people stop or limit purchasing a product, food producers will change. They’re in business to make a profit and when their profit begins to suffer, they will take notice. That’s capitalism at work.

The Bad News: Americans still receive about 10 percent of their calories from fast-food restaurants. That’s unbelievable. Moms often tell me that fast food in moderation is okay. What’s moderation? Families eat fast foods on average three times a week. Is eating fast food once or twice a week moderate? Of course it isn’t. Eating fast food in moderation is cooking your own hamburgers and fries.

Typical French fries have about 40 percent trans fat. Making fries yourself, will cut down on the number of times you eat them. Peeling, cutting, and frying potatoes can take a while …because of all the work, you’ll not make fries often. That’s moderation, not several times a week at the drive-thru window.

More Bad News: The truth is that when ANY fat is heated for extended periods of time, it becomes a trans fat. (Correction: produce some trans fatty acids. See note below.) So there it is, any fried food eaten out is cooked in the same re-used, re-heated oil. They may start out with a more “healthy” fat, but in the end contains trans fat. The only way to avoid trans fat is to avoid eating fried food out altogether.

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It seems the idea that nuts cause weight gain, is well, actually nutty. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed 13 different studies, which measured the effects of nuts on weight.

All the studies in which nuts replaced other foods found no increase in weight. However, what’s more surprising is when nuts were added to an existing diet, all but one study found no tendency to gain weight.

Researchers have suggested this observation may be related to the ability of nuts to satisfy the appetite, which reduces overall intake of food. There’s also some evidence that consuming healthy fats (such as those found in nuts) may actually help the body to burn fat. This evidence affirms that despite being fatty, nuts don’t appear to be fattening.

Photo: Joshy is helping his mom make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

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Then you’ll need brain food. Brain food is REAL food. Good nutrition is critical at all stages of your child’s life. And just as in today’s Yummy News Report, the effects will last a lifetime. Brains need carbohydrates for energy, and proteins, and healthy fats to build connective pathways between the brain cells. Vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients help create the neurotransmitters, which relay signals between the brain cells.

Your baby’s brain grows its fastest from about the 10th to 18th week of pregnancy. Then again just before birth and it continues it’s dramatic growth for the first two years of life. Children, who do not get adequate nutrition in their first few years of life are more likely to lower IQs, and slower language and motor development, which leads to poorer school performance.

Preschool nutrition impacts the rest of your child’s life. If you’re pregnant eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants in these foods will protect your baby’s brains from tissue damage. Get your folic acid which is important for a healthy baby by eating plenty of leafy greens and whole grain foods. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to two years of age. Mother’s milk is the perfect food for a baby’s developing brain.

When you start feeding your baby solids, usually around six months of age, include whole foods and iron rich foods such as finely minced meats. Your child should eat a variety of foods including whole grains, veggies and fruits, meat and dairy. Give kids a healthy snack between meals, not processed treats. This will insure that your child is receiving continuous nutrients required for growth and development.

For your child to have a healthy brain, eat real, unprocessed foods as much as possible. Eat a rainbow of food. Blueberries, red cherries, yellow peppers, dark leafy greens, purple eggplant, red tomatoes, orange carrots and pumpkins. Each color of food contributes nutrients necessary for good brain health.

Your child’s brain needs fat!

One of the worst recommendations for children’s health for them to eat a low-fat diet. Fat makes up over 60 percent of your child’s developing brain. Although your children need the right kinds of fat. Omega-3 oils are vital for a healthy brain. Toddlers need approximately 35 percent of their daily calories from good fats. That’s omega-3 and -6 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) found in unrefined oils (freshly pressed oil which is protected from light, oxygen, and heat) such as extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and flax seed oil, it’s also found in avocados and nuts. Unrefined oils provide omega-3 and -6 EFAs needed for cell growth and integrity.

Ben knows fish is high in omega 3. ›

For a healthy brain, eat healthy fats from a variety of sources like fish, walnuts, flax, avocado, and coconut and olive oil. To ensure your baby has the best start, avoid drinking alcohol in any amount while your pregnant. As always, avoid processed foods, which make it harder for your child’s brain to grow properly.

You’ll want to avoid:

• Processed foods with artificial sweeteners or coloring, luncheon meats containing nitrates, and MSG: Monosodium Glutamate an excitotoxin killing brains cells.

• Sugar, which is added to most processed foods, including salad dressings, ketchup, yogurt, and the worst offender soda pop.

• Altered fats and partially-hydrogenated oils are found in most fast foods, fried foods, and packaged chips, crackers, and bakery items.

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