Cupcake Turns 25:
Dietitian Believes Trans Fat Has Kept It Together
All These Years
Chicago-based
dietitian Bonnie Minsky owns a 25-year-old cupcake
still in pristine form. Minsky has used it over
the years to show her clients the dangers of trans
fat. With the world turning its attention to trans
fats, she feels it is the perfect time to use
the ancient cupcake as a symbol of why trans fats
should be removed from the food supply.
Northbrook, IL (PRWEB) October
26, 2006 -- At the beginning of Licensed Dietitian
Bonnie Minsky's career, she wanted to show school
kids the difference between real and fake food.
It was 1981. She purchased a Hostess Cupcake and
let it sit for a few months. As she suspected,
it kept its form and did not break down, unlike
her apple, which started becoming spoiled in a
few days. Did it ever cross her mind that the
cupcake would still be in "pristine"
form 25 years later? Never.
Why has she kept it so long?
"I use it as a visual for my clients,"
Minsky says. "When I speak at corporations,
people cannot believe it when I tell them how
old it is. It sends a strong message about the
danger of trans fat."
Trans fat, which is chemically altered by adding
hydrogen to vegetable oil, has become a lightning
rod for the food industry worldwide. Hydrogenated
and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are
most often found in fried foods, cookies, crackers,
cupcakes, doughnuts, or anything that benefits
from a longer shelf life.
"The funny thing is, except for artificial
flavor and partially hydrogenated oil, the ingredients
in the cupcake are all real," adds Minsky.
"It shows you the incredible shelf life that
trans fats provide. What it does to our body is
another story."
Denmark was the first country to ban trans fat
nearly two years ago. Many other countries are
planning to follow suit. In the United States,
packaged products can be labeled trans fat-free
if they contain less than 0.5%. However, restaurants
are not required to list the amount of trans fat
on their menus. Because of this, New York and
Chicago have proposed to ban trans fats in restaurants.
"I'm excited," Minsky quipped. "Nothing
had changed with regard to removing trans fats
until recently. They have no place in our food
supply. And there is no safe level."
This month, published research from Harvard's
prestigious Nurse's Health Study showed that women
who consume 6% of their calories from trans fat
gain up to twelve pounds more over an eight-year
period than those who consume none. The National
Academy of Sciences have also said that trans
fat increases levels of LDL cholesterol ("bad"
cholesterol) and lowers levels of HDL cholesterol
("good" cholesterol). Earlier this year,
The New England Journal of Medicine published
a study that claimed removing trans fats from
the food supply could prevent tens of thousands
of heart attacks and cardiac deaths each year
in the U.S.
How is Minsky going to celebrate the cupcake's
birthday?
"I certainly know what I won't eat it."
Bonnie Minsky, LDN, MPH, MA, CNS, is President
and Wellness Director of Nutritional Concepts,
Inc., established in 1985. Bonnie counsels individuals,
corporations, schools, and has performed hundreds
of speaking engagements. Minsky has authored two
books, Our Children's Health and Nutrition in
a Nutshell, and has written seventeen Action Plans.
More information can be found at Nutritional Concepts,
Inc..
Nutritional Concepts, Inc.
Contact: Steve Minsky
Phone: 847-509-1336
Website: http://www.nutritionalconcepts.com
More Information: http://www.prweb.com//releases/2006/10/prweb461353.htm
