Anyone else watch The Biggest Loser?

Most of the major snack producers are removing TFs from their chips. That's supply and demand at work. QUOTE] Not true...they began offering non TF alternatives (thats s&d ) but the removal of TF's... thats regulation. i can't find those crackers anywhere.

I think the government should ban all the bottled water that's supposedly keeping us hydrated. Once the bottle is empty, everyone keeps re-filling it despite the bacteria left inside. After a couple refills, it's like toilet water. Toilet water is drinking quality water. Shower water is drinking quality water. A few refills and the bacteria are not going to hurt you unless you are leaving the empty container for days and not rinising it. Bottled water should be banned...it's a con. :2cents:

Knelson, Come to Roatan and you will see NO laws enforced because we have two police and you have to pick them up yourself if you want something resolved. They don't have cars or phones. So, it is like the Wild West down here; and driving? Yikes!! The taxi drivers stop dead in the street to chat with friends; Yes, multiple rear-end accidents and everyone just keeps going. No one has license plates, no cars have seat belts (except us Americans). It is a free-for-all. And after watching what the island people eat down here (sugar out of the bag, flour tortillas, rice, few vegies), I am a saint with my Angus Burger and Onion Rings and rum and coke. But this thread has influenced me today, I am going with a mixed salad for lunch with some potato chips :joker:ing of course!!! And I like Heather's idea about rounding off times; if this new rule goes into effect, can I tell people my 18.6 mile swim is really 19 miles? Donna

I have no problem with the banning of trans fats (although they may be good for business!). What I take issue with is the belief that this will significantly impact either the overall health of our population or the prevalence of coronary artery disease (not to mention the incidence of obesity). Please note that I said significantly. I also find it ironic that we're not seeing a ban on tobacco products, the health risks of which vastly overshadow that of trans fats. I agree with Gull, although I'm ticked that he hasn't thanked me for writing a story about him. On the other hand, the point about the governement having other more important things to do is also valid. I read too. I read that the suicide rate has spiked among troops sent to Iraq. Isn't that problem a little more significant than TFs? Islandsox, I have been to the Caribbean. There clearly are no speeding and drinking laws whatsoever. Likewise, when I took my family to Costa Rica a few years back, one of my teenagers described it as the "land of underage drinking and driving." He liked speeding around in his ATV on the beaches.

Hey If sex means 5-10years less at the wrinkly end, I'll go with sex...actually extra sex and less longevity... No worries there Dude. Now, I'm not a Harvard man, although I might recognize one. They should be listened to generally. I went to Cornell, as you may recall from the college thread. There is a little study from Cornell Med on this issue. Sex keeps you younger. It increases endorphins, which lowers stress. I can also help you avoid arthritis and other illnesses. But you must avoid fatty foods. So go to it. Also, didn't I read something about the sport of swimming actually increasing one's sex drive?

Please excuse that this post is a little "dated", I wrote it this morning and couldn't post it due to the site maintenance.] I think that the number of posters here who appear to believe that the problem with trans fats is that they make you obese is a good illustration of the problem. The real problem with trans fats is that they affect blood cholesteral levels resulting in coronary heart disease. You can be fit and trim and have clogged up arteries. It is important to note that New York has banned high levels of trans fats in restaurant food, they haven't legislated what you can eat at home or the levels of trans fats in packaged foods that already have labels listing the levels of trans fats. A possible alternative to the ban on trans fats in unlabeled restaurant food might be to require restaurants to prominantly label the food in ways that can't easily be overlooked by consumers, e.g. "This menu item contains 12.5 times the recommended daily limit of trans fats. Excessive consumption of trans fats kill an estimated 30,000-100,000 Americans each year". I suspect that most restaurants would simply remove the trans fats instead of putting such a label in their menu. I think the biggest loser is the person whose dietary decisions are made for him by his own government. This is the basis of our difference of opinion, I think the biggest losers are the people who die unnecessarily and the children, spouses and friends they leave behind.

LindsayNB, do you really thinking banning transfats in restaurants is going to stop all of those deaths? People will find it in other sources, or die from related heart type illnesses ... it's not like stop serving it in restaurants and all of a sudden there will be 50,000 less deaths ... Yes banning TF will just drive it underground where it will become the new narcotic of choice. Our kids will be going to TF raves out in barns in the middle of nowhere. TF cartels wil spring up and become a major problem for the inner cities, and eventually, the rural areas. It will overload our already stretched law enforcement agencies, and worst of all: There will be even more lawyers (I mean is that possible?) clogging the judicial system with their cases related to TF addiction and crime. :2cents:

I am just using the numbers attributed to the dieticians at Harvard for the number of premature deaths that could be prevented by substituting non-trans fats for trans fats. I did not state that a restaurant ban alone would result in that reduction. I am quite surprised by the "they will just find another way to kill themselves" line of reasoning. It would be interesting to know what percentage of people who die from CHD "want to die", I am working on the assumption that it isn't that high a percentage.

I am just using the numbers attributed to the dieticians at Harvard for the number of premature deaths that could be prevented by substituting non-trans fats for trans fats. I did not state that a restaurant ban alone would result in that reduction. I am quite surprised by the "they will just find another way to kill themselves" line of reasoning. It would be interesting to know what percentage of people who die from CHD "want to die", I am working on the assumption that it isn't that high a percent. I am in seriousness somewhat aligned with Lindsay on this. I don't want to be told what not to eat etc, but people are not fully aware (yet) of the dangers. Smoking and drug etc we all know the risks, so yes people choose that option. Something in food that not everyone is fully aware about may need to be guarded against. Whereas overeating and not excercising is usually a choice, and most people know this is not good for health. Banning a substance which can benefit most people's health, when they may not be aware of it, I think, is not a bad thing. For instance, I was not aware of the TF issue until this post--I am not kidding. Now I may still eat stuff with TF in it but at least I know that I can check into it if I have concerns; so education may also be a good idea. For me it isn't so much of a "you can't eat this" thing as a ""we don't want you cooking in this and selling it" thing. Lastly, a good number of, not all, weight issues are caused by humoungous sized portions of food that get served up in diners and restaurants. Overeating becomes a bad habit, and getting a small meal is somewhat "un-American" and would give rise to a customer complaint I am sure. People need education on this too. As an example: 1/2lb burger, fries, and 1pint milkshake is not a good daily meal--as scrumptious as it is. There are so many areas to target on this health issue. Focusing on one is never the solution.

I'm going to go out on a limb here--the banning of trans fats will not significantly alter the incidence of coronary artery disease nor the death rate. That's not to say it shouldn't be done, but our expectations need to be realistic.