Trimming the fat in Canada

TORONTO—Ask your favourite grocer, restaurateur, or even your local public school cafeteria cook how much trans fat goes into their food, and the answer will probably surprise you. While smoking has been banned in almost all public places in Toronto and other major Canadian principalities, another threat to public health—trans fat—remains virtually unregulated nationwide. Bad for your heart and overall health, the effects of trans fats have been well documented. But not a whole lot has been done about it.

But…ALAN and MAX SANDERS took notice. Upon thorough investigation, they found that most concessions, fast food operators, restaurants and school cafeterias were not even remotely prepared for new federal legislation requiring nutritional labels disclosing trans fatty acid content in prepared foods.

Even worse, the public didn’t know what oils were being used in these kitchens or exactly how much trans fat they contained! Perhaps, thought Alan and Max, it was time to change the way food was cooked and processed in Canada.

So they set out to find the best possible trans fat free oil, tackling the project with a team of chefs and food service managers. Their mission? To find a natural, trans fat free, non-hydrogenated oil that could replace those containing trans fats in the food service industry. Their search soon revealed that there were very few such oils in use that had not been modified in some way to increase shelf life or enhance taste. But they did find one that met all their criteria; after 12 months of testing and research, rice bran oil was the answer. Unlike other common vegetable oils, rice bran oil has a wide variety of beneficial properties that make it unique. It has the ideal ratio of saturated, monounsaturated , polyunsaturated fatty acids the body needs and is closest to the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION recommendation.

Its most notable features are that it is naturally trans fat free, low in saturated fats, not genetically modified, low in free fatty acids, non-hydrogenated, heart friendly which qualifies it for many heart organizations’.

Even better, it can be used in most common cooking applications, including shallow frying, deep-frying, salad dressings and baking.

Since Alan and Max’s discovery, several well known chefs and restaurant dining rooms have done extensive testing of rice bran oil with impressive results. After using the product on a trial basis, the results were startling. Many of them now use the brand name Gramin-a rice bran oil in all of its cooking applications.

Further successful testing was done by SENSES under the direction of CHEF NEAL NOBLE, “after testing rice bran oil in all kitchen aspects, we have found Gramin-a to be an excellent alternative to other oil types. It is particularly excellent for sautéing and deep-frying as it transfers no tastes to the

food being prepared and does not absorb into the food products. The fact that it contains no trans fats is an added benefit to this excellent product.”

DR. DAVID GREENBERG, MD. has acted as Chairman of CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION, was the Chief of FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Doctors Hospital, member of the ONTARIO ANTI-INFECTIVE REVIEW PANEL and a GP advisor in the development of three other NATIONAL GUIDELINE PROGRAMS.

According to Dr. Greenberg, “Gramin-a Rice Bran Oil can be used in all foods without changing their taste. The widespread introduction of Rice Bran Oil potentially represents one of the biggest breakthroughs in the fight against the leading killers of North Americans in recent history.”

The medical community agrees. “Presently, heart disease is one of the biggest killers of Canadians, male and female. It is an enormous burden on a healthcare system that we all pay for. So it follows that trans fats—a proven and widespread cause of heart disease is also a burden on our healthcare system. A burden that is unnecessary with products like rice bran oil on the market.”

As for any lingering doubts about the taste or versatility of rice bran oil, they were put to rest on the May 19,2004 episode of “Daily Planet” on the DISCOVERY CHANNEL In a direct comparison with other common heart-healthy cooking oils (olive oil, canola oil, and grape seed oil) Gramin-a Rice Bran Oil came out on top in every category, “ it is very nice, very light, it’s cleaner, lighter and absorbs less oil. It won all taste tests, and was used easily in more applications than any other oil” was the host’s closing remarks.

To view CLICK on –http://www/exn.ca/news/video/exn2004051 9-cookingoil.asx - windows media player

It is clear that the public is very concerned cares about the trans fat problem.. Public awareness is glaringly clear by the rapidly increasing number of hits received on the company’s web sites www.ricebranoil.ca and www.gramin-a.com.

Thankfully, hospitals and Canadian food Distributors have started tests or rice bran oil . The initial response is very positive.

Despite this interest, the question remains: with a healthy, heart-friendly and versatile substitute readily available, why do grocers, restaurants, food processing companies and schools continue to prepare food with oil that is high in trans fats? Simply put, until Canadians begin to demand real change from the people preparing our fast food, trans fat free oils will sadly remain the exception instead of the norm.

And Canadians will continue to pay the price.