What is Hydrogenated Oil?

Andria — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 18:19:42 +0000

What is hydrogenated oil? Hydrogenated oil is the process of forcing hydrogen gas into oil at high pressure and temperature. It is used to take the place of butter in many baked items… some of the things that contain hydrogenated oils are crackers, cookies, frozen waffles, pudding, peanut butter, cereal bars, granola bars, prepared frozen foods, most prepared foods, soups (canned and powered), salad dressings, and more. Try picking up any item in the grocery store. Chances are that it will have partially or fully hydrogenated oils.

Listed on Oprah’s website in the ‘Food Hall of Shame’, “To increase their shelf life, Dr. Oz says certain oils are hydrogenated. This process turns the oil into a solid at room temperature, but it also makes the oil unhealthy. “This stuff is great because it doesn’t go bad, but it’s very bad for you,” says Dr. Oz. Avoid food products that contain hydrogenated oil, often labeled as ‘trans fats’.”

What makes hydrogenated oil bad for us?”. There are so many sites out there that provide detailed explanations on why it is bad, but in short, hydrogenated oil contains toxic trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids contribute to heart disease, cancer, MS, diabetes, and may contribute to other health problems that we have yet to find out about. The following link does an excellent job of explaining it: What’s Wrong with Partially Hydrogenated Oils?

Eric Armstrong has a great site that clearly explains the reasons why you should not eat anything with hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. He also explain how to carry out an effective consumer boycott of the products that harm us. He says in this article, “It’s one thing not to buy a product. It’s even better to boycott the product in a way that it makes it less likely that others will buy it.” Eric writes, “…after a while, it hit me. I came up with a way to carry on a small, one-person boycott of unhealthy products in a way that has a larger impact. It’s pretty simple, really. When I find a product that has partially hydrogenated oils or High Fructose Corn Syrup, I put it back on the shelf upside down and backwards….as more and more people catch on to the concept, I’m betting it could have a huge impact. If nothing else, I leave the store knowing that I’ve done something. Even if I’ve only kept one product out of one person’s hands, it’s something”

I agree with this boycott strategy, and I will be starting to do it as well. I hope that more people catch on.

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What is Hydrogenated Oil?