In the weekend edition of USA Today the article "Trans fat: Infamous but not the only villian" caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you.

I couldn't find a link to it so I will sum it up, it was by my favorite USA Today columnist, Nanci Hellmich and she said:

"Yes, they're (trans fats) bad for heart health, but nutritionists say focusing on them could distract from the real devil: Our diets!"

Well said! The article talks about the rush that marketers and food makers have recently gone through in getting trans fats out of our diets and finding a more acceptable fat while continuing to make their otherwise unhealthy and unnecessary food items available to us.

"It is important to remind ourselves that changing oils and removing trans fats does not magically turn a deep-fried food into a health food" says Dawn Jackson Blatner, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

The reason that American diets are SO bad is that for our hearts is that we eat too much junk food and not enough fruits and vegetables!"

WELL, knock me over with a feather! An example given in the article was the recent miracle trans fat free transformation that Oreo cookies went through, originally three cookies would would deliver 7 grams of fat (2.5 from trans fat and 1.5 in saturated fat--no mention of where the other 3 grams are from!), well the NEW and improved Oreo still has 7 grams of FAT, this time you get 2. from saturated fats and no mention of where the other 5 come from)

FAT is FAT, an Oreo is still an Oreo and whether they fry them in trans fat, butter, removed body fat or whatever other disgusting fat they replace it with, a McDonald's french FRY will still be a french FRY and still won't be an apple--or as good for you as one!

The solution to this fat problem really is quite simple; live a lifestyle that is full of exercise, plentiful with water, rich in fruits and vegetables, proteins (lean ones!), limit your carbs and be very wary of ANY processed, fast or packaged food!

Don't let Madison Avenue and it's ad execs dictate how you are going to live and what you will feed your family!