Partially hydrogenated oils, thoseuniversally despisedsources of trans fat, have finally beenmore or less bannedby the FDA.
Thats impressive for a product that was owesits birth 104 years agoto the then-new partial hydrogenation process.
The process is called partial hydrogenation, and it produces a fat with unusual trans bonds.
Decades later, doctors startedfinding these unusual fatsin humans with heart disease.
Only in 1976 did the FDA ask whether scientists thought partially hydrogenated oils were a safe ingredient in food.
They answered yes,but may have been unfairly influenced by food manufacturers.
Not even I Cant Believe Its Not Butter!
Another unlabeled source: thefrying oil used by restaurants.
(There is a label, but itll be on a container back in the kitchen somewhere.)
Otherwise, peek at the ingredients label for partially hydrogenated anythingits out there, but rare and getting rarer.
