The heart risks of trans fat has sparked greater demand for a new variety of soybean oil, to the extent that food companies have recruited farmers to grow more of the new beans.
No Need for Hydrogenation
The new soybeans contain lower levels of the acids that make food stale or rancid, meaning their oil does not need hydrogenation, the process the creates trans fats. Most soybeans contain roughly 7 percent linolenic acid. The new varieties contain 1 to 3 percent.
Outstripping Supply
Use of the oil has increased ever since the FDA began requiring manufacturers to list trans fat content on food labels. As a result, demand for the new soybeans is beginning to outstrip the supply.
You may recall that not long ago I wrote about Kellogg using new genetically modified soybean oil in some of their snack products to get rid of trans fats.
No wonder companies are frantically searching for alternatives, considering the FDA's edict that processed food products must list the amount of trans fats they contain. And supply isn't keeping up with the demand, not unlike the unsafe trend seen with Splenda.
Why these so-called healthier vegetable oils are a disastrous choice for most people: They can contain as much as 100 times the level of harmful omega-6 fats, far in excess of the average American's intake of more beneficial omega-3 fats.
We all need to eat omega-6 fats but about the only people who are deficient in this fat are those on exclusive IV nutrition that is not supplemented with IV fat or those who are consuming a low-fat vegan diet.
Omega-6 fats are in nearly every animal food and many plants, so that is why deficiencies are very rare.
Around 1900, Americans ate less than a pound of processed vegetable oil annually. Just last year, the average American ate more than 80 pounds, largely thanks to processed fast food using oils like these. Suffice to say, the human body wasn't designed to consume these high levels of vegetable fats.
Excessive consumption of omega-6-laden vegetable oils can lead to:
Just as virtually no one is deficient in omega-6 fats, it is very rare for the typical person to be consuming enough omega-3 fats. The vast majority of people are deficient in this critical fat.
One crucial way to right-size your intake of more beneficial omega-3 fats: Take a high-quality fish or cod liver oil daily.
And in addition, to avoid overly high quantities of omega-6 fats, avoid highly processed foods, which frequently contain heated vegetable oils and other dangerous ingredients. If you must cook with oil at home, use coconut oil. Despite the bad reputation of saturated fats, they are actually better for cooking because they are far less damaged by the heating process.