Los Angeles County on Thursday (11/15/07) rolled out a program in which local restaurants that agree to stop using heart-damaging trans-fats in their cooking will get a decal to display in their windows.
Unlike eateries in New York City, which last year banned the use of trans fats, restaurants here get to decide which kinds of oils to use under the county’s voluntary program.
Trans-fats are plant oils with added hydrogen atoms; the altered fats are used in frying, baking and in manufactured foods to extend shelf life. Mounting evidence that shows they increase the risk of high cholesterol and heart disease has led to campaigns around the country to halt their use.
Some national fast-food chains, including Burger King, KFC and McDonnell''s, already have switched to other oils, county health officials noted.
"It’s time for people to change the oil in their bodies," Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the county Department of Public Health, said at a news conference in West Los Angeles to launch the program.
Restaurants that decide to participate in the county program must apply to the Department of Public Health at a cost of $204. Public health inspectors will visit the establishment unannounced to verify that cooks are preparing food with trans-fat-free products and are not storing or serving partially hydrogenated oils, shortening or margarine with more than 0.5 grams of trans-fat per serving. The restaurant will then get a green decal to denote for its health-conscious customers that it’s cooking with trans-fats.
Once restaurants have begun applying and are approved for the decals, county officials will list them on the public health website, lapublichealth.org which also has information about the program.
Health officials said they don’t know how many of the county’s more than 30,000 restaurants will participate, but expressed confidence that consumers will like the program and patronize participating restaurants, thus encouraging more eateries to sign up.
“As people start looking for these zeros (on the decals) they’re going to really respond,” said Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, a major proponent of the program.
Local officials initially explored banning trans-fats in both the city of Los Angeles and the county but backed off in the face of jurisdictional issues with the state and potential opposition from the restaurant association, said Councilman Jose Huizar.
“We wanted to do something that’s quicker, that’s immediate,” said Huizar. If trans-fats are less available to the public,
“I think the cumulative effect will be a healthier Los Angeles,” Huizar said.
Many restaurants already have begun phasing out trans-fats, said Blair C. Salisbury, President of the Los Angeles County Chapter of the California Restaurant Association., which represents 1,500 local eateries.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Salisbury, who supports the effort. Employees at his Mexican restaurant in Pasadena use a trans-fat-free oil to fry chips. “I think we’re trending toward healthier dining.”
The news conference took place at Poquito Mas, part of a Mexican fresh-food chain that stopped frying with trans-fat oil three years ago, owner Kevin McCarney said.
When his restaurant first made the switch, he said, the new oil cost twice as much but produced fresher and crispier tortilla chips. The price difference has since been smoothed out, he said.
“It was a natural move for us,” McCarney said.
“You don’t want shelf life in your arteries.” —Susannah Rosenblatt
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 16, 2007 YoungYou asks, what are restaurants in your area of the world doing about cooking with trans-fats? Whether or not they have made any changes, there are many heart-healthy dishes you can order with just a little thought on your part.
Have you tried sushi at better Japanese restaurants? Vegetarian appetizers made with olive oil at Middle Eastern and Greek restaurants, pasta with marinara sauce and a good salad at Italian restaurants, and stir-fried vegetables and chicken or tofu at Chinese ones? You often can find wonderful fish dishes at good restaurants.
Andrew Weil, M. D., in his book, Eating Well for Optimum Health, tells us that while there are many pitfalls to restaurant dining, he can offer several tips for avoiding them. He suggests:
- Don’t automatically eat bread and butter while waiting for your first course. Ask for extra-virgin olive oil to dip your bread in instead of butter.
- Ask for salad dressing on the side, so that you can put the amount on you want. Choose olive-oil vinaigrettes, if available. Or simply ask for olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice if you wish.
- Also ask for sauces on the side, since they are usually high in saturated fat.
- Avoid fried foods.
- Ask for grilled or broiled fish to be prepared without butter.
- Ask for vegetables that are steamed or prepared with olive oil instead of butter.
Eating is not merely a simple pleasure.
Eating gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely
to good-will and happy campanionship.— Elsa Schiaperelli
