EPISODE ALERT: FDA Bans Crisco Trans-Fats & Why They Don't Give A Sh*t

It's been awhile since I've written anything. My blog is about mental health, but it is also about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, too. Because without it, achieving a mentally healthy outlook is very, very difficult.

Recently, the FDA announced it is banning trans-fats. What that means is any fat that is solid at room-temperature, like Crisco vegetable oil or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil which is from soybean oil, will no longer be in many processed foods we consume - chiefly, crackers, cookies and microwave popcorn. There are many others. It use to be that companies could make foods with less than 0.5 grams of trans-fat and could put on the food label as "no trans-fat". Now that is not allowed.

Here is the NPR radio show about this topic.


My mother asked me what I thought about the new rulings. I said, I don't really care. As a vegetarian and someone that actually does cook from scratch, the requirement for trans-fats would be minimal. I must say, I own Crisco products, they are very nice to bake with, but the way I make my foodstuffs, it does not taste as good as butter.

I tried explaining to my mother about how products made with trans-fats allowed them to have increased shelf-lives. That was good when food was scarce and many people starved. When foods could not be "kept" in refrigerators or were not abundant in markets like they are now in the US. Partially hydrogenated oil is what kept many people alive long enough to eat food.

However, from a molecular biological perspective, a starvation metabolism is still different from an metabolic syndrome metabolism. In times of food scarcity, the body latches on to any of the major macromolecules it can find as well as water. Any foodstuffs is better than no foodstuffs or prolonged lack of nutrition. Proteins play a major role in saving lives. What is fed to starving children is a product called "Plumpy'nut"

It is for severe malnutrition. It contains monounsaturated fats. It has a 2 year shelf-life and requires no food preparation.

It is made by a French company and it heals thousands of starving children in undeveloped countries and malnourished areas, as well as keeping them alive.

It is, the life-saver of children. Without some "trans-fat", these children would die.


A metabolic syndrome metabolism is about overeating all the major macromolecules to where key disease genes are unable to be regulated. Many of the diseases we love fall into this category: Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke. The way to change metabolic syndrome is through physical fitness, eating fresh vegetables only, very little protein, no starch or carbohydrates and reducing stress through mindfulness meditation. Doing all these activities are very hard to do, many medications can help, but there are side effect. This is a first world problem.

Making our foodstuffs more natural would be nice. Who has the time? Not all natural foods are safe due to infections and chemical contamination. Having a natural lifestyle takes a lot of dedication, time, and motivation. When someone is suffering from mental illness, those thought processes are not even apparent.

After I told my mother all that, she said, "I don't want government telling me what I can and cannot eat..."

Actually, that got me to thinking. The reality is, the FDA takes trans-fats off the table in food who are the producers going to sell their products to? Well...

My logic is the reason why the "trans-fat" food companies are not making a huge stink about the FDA ruling against it is, they are transitioning into the BIOFUEL market where that tub of Crisco once cost $2 - $3 now cost $20 - $30 dollars a pound to drive your vehicle. Crisco does not care. It isn't hard for the oil companies like Shell to speak to JM Smuckers about anything... And if you did not think they would do that, well... I have some nice beachfront property in Yuma, Arizona...

I'm going to buy all the little tubs of Crisco that I can and sell it...