The hidden hazards of trans-fat bans CARLY WEEKS From Thursday's Globe and Mail January 3, 2008 at 1:21 AM EST Calgary may be making history this week as the first Canadian city to ban trans fats in restaurants, but that doesn't mean eating out will soon become much healthier. Some nutrition experts are concerned the massive push to eliminate trans fats in Calgary and across the country will convince consumers that it's suddenly better for them to indulge in greasy, fat-laden and other guilty-pleasure snack foods. “This shouldn't be a ticket to eat large amounts of pastries and French fries,” said Sari Greaves, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the New York State Dietetic Association. Some are warning that restaurants and food manufacturers may be using alternatives that are nearly as detrimental to health as artery-clogging trans fats. “There is a potential that trans fats will be replaced with saturated fats, which are almost as bad as trans fats,” said Margaret Broughton, community nutritionist at Vancouver Coastal Health. As of Jan. 1, Calgary restaurants are no longer allowed to cook with fats or oils in which trans fats make up more than 2 per cent of the total fat content. The federal government has indicated that similar rules will be put in place across Canada over the next few years. New York became the first U.S. city to ban trans fats in restaurants last year. Trans fats, which are typically cheaper than other oils, have become a dominant ingredient for many restaurants and food manufacturers in recent decades because they provide a rich texture and longer shelf life. They occur naturally in some animals, but most are created by “hydrogenation,” an industrial process in which liquid oils are turned into semi-solid fats such as margarine and shortening. Saturated fat occurs naturally in dairy products such as cheese and butter and in certain oils such as palm and coconut. A federal study released in December showed some fast-food chains – most notably Burger King – still have high levels of trans fats in French fries, chicken nuggets and other items. In recent years, health organizations and advocacy groups have led a major campaign against trans fats, which have been linked to increased risks of coronary heart disease and elevated unhealthy cholesterol levels. But now that the fight against trans fats has gained momentum, there is some fear the campaign has been too successful. That's because there has been such an intense focus on eliminating one type of fat that other messages about the problems of eating salty, greasy or sugary food have been partly drowned out, according to Dr. Henry Anhalt, director of the division of pediatric endocrinology and diabetes at the Saint Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey. “This is a very, very modest intervention that's not likely to make a big impact on society in general,” Dr. Anhalt said. “It's not enough. We've got to get exercise back into the schools and more awareness, not just banning one particularly ingredient.” Even after trans fats are removed from restaurant food and packaged items such as cookies and chips, there may still be high levels of sodium, saturated fat, sugar and other preservatives that can lead to health problems. The Danish health ministry has reported a 20 per cent drop in heart disease since the country banned trans fats in 2004. However, factors such as increasing tobacco regulation and greater attention to nutrition may have contributed. Instead of focusing solely on trans fats, consumers should be hearing about better ways to incorporate a variety of healthy foods into their diets, Dr. Anhalt said. One way to accomplish this is to add nutritional-content labelling to restaurant menus, similar to that required on food packages in Canada, he said. In addition to providing better nutrition information to consumers, menu labelling could provide a greater incentive for restaurants to offer more healthful items. “There still have to be efforts on educating consumers what foods they should be getting more of and also not overeating in general,” Ms. Greaves said. Calgary chef Chad Gould-Hawke has been busy in recent months, tweaking recipes by experimenting with different oils for deep-frying. Mr. Gould-Hawke, who works at Booker's BBQ Grill & Crab Shack, also checked through his inventory of products and eliminated those with trans fats. But even these efforts won't make deep-fried dishes into health food, he said. “Cooking with butter is still going to cause cholesterol [problems] in larger people.”