I’m ashamed to admit it, but there are some trans fats that have sneaked into my house.
Some of them are left over from a year ago before I became even more committed to high-quality food and nutrition.
Some of them just sneak in because I’m not sure what else to buy.
I’d like to have a “Zero Trans Fat” household, but we all have loopholes, don’t we? If the FDA can allow some, maybe I should cut myself some slack.
I do believe in the 80/20 rule: that if you’re eating the best foods possible 80% of the time, you can let up and “cheat” the other 20% and your body will recover. I’d rather use my 20% on sugar and chocolate, though, not trans fats!
Here’s the list of Sneaky Trans Fats in my Home:
- graham crackers
- saltine crackers
- cake mixes and frosting
- brownie mixes…yes, I usually make them from scratch, but I have some mixes on hand…
- eating out…this is where I really rely on the 80/20 and the Promise of my Meal Blessing! I ask enough questions about where the fish is from and if the butter is real or fake that I can’t handle asking about all the ingredients all the time!
Random True Story: The last time we were out to eat, I asked the waitress if she knew where the salmon was from. She disdainfully said she “could” ask the cooks, but they probably didn’t know either. I glowingly replied, “Yes, thank you, I’d really like that.” She came back to assure me that “all the salmon is farmed,” and seemed a bit disgusted that that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. When I ordered my potato (restaurant-style baked potatoes are my weakness!!!) with my Tilapia, I asked for butter, no sour cream, and almost as an afterthought asked, “Is it real butter?” She visibly rolled her eyes, said, “It’s not real butter. NObody uses real butter anymore,” and walked away. I kid you not! I turned to my husband and quipped, “Then why do they call it “butter” on the menu?” Just to make sure her tip remained painfully low, she also treated it like it was my mother-in-law’s fault when she was served a baked potato after having ordered steamed broccoli. When the mistake was politely pointed out, the waitress flipped open her order pad in a huff as if to say, “You probably ordered the wrong thing, let me check!” Gee-zooey! You can’t get real butter or real service sometimes!
And some items that used to be a problem, but I’ve recently fixed:
- pretzels – I’m getting smarter about labels – sourdough pretzels are usually safe!
- tortillas - so hard to find them without trans fat without costing an arm and a leg! I make homemade tortillas now.
- refried beans – you have to buy organic or high-class versions, or make your own. This week I’m trying a new recipe – can’t decide which of the 3 at the bean recipes carnival to try first!
- shortening for baking – I just use butter or coconut oil and have liked the results so far! There are “trans-fat-free” shortenings, but I haven’t tried them or looked into how they’re made. For the record, the Crisco in the photo is my neighbor’s. I borrowed it for the photo shoot!
- Hamburger Helper – when we ran out, I didn’t buy any more. My husband and son are bummed, though, because that was their “boy night” meal that they made together. Any suggestions for a substitution for them that is easy and tasty? UPDATE: Check out the comments for a few good ones! UPDATE 2: I found our winner! Husband-approved Real Food Hamburger Helper
Want to know how butter and margarine stack up vs. “heart healthy” spreads? Ready to accept a mission to switch to butter? Check up on all of the Fat Full Fall posts.
Now it’s your turn: Where do the trans fats sneak into your home? What products is it hardest to avoid trans fats in? Share some tips, too, for avoiding trans fats and finding better substitutes. Thanks for contributing!
If you’re a member of BlogFrog or interested in discussing this issue via a forum, check out the Kitchen Stewardship Community. I’m interested to see if this is a good place to get discussions going, challenge each other and share research and tips.
Join us all this season for A Fat Full Fall at Kitchen Stewardship. Don’t risk missing important information! Sign up for an email subscription or grab my reader feed.
If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
Some older posts you may enjoy:
Thanks for sharing posts from all over! See Your Life, Your Blog at Real Life Blog this week.
Your restaurant experience sounded similar to one I just had. I ordered tomato soup and told my husband that it didn’t taste like it was made there and I thought it might be canned soup. So I asked the waitress if they made it themselves. The girl said “Well, we mix a few things together, but we don’t really make it.” I think it was probably something like Campbell’s.
Also wanted to thank you for the comment on my Rice and Beans and also for submitting a recipe to my pumpkin festival. I haven’t gotten much response to it. It’s my first time trying to do something like that so I ‘m not sure why I’m not getting any link ups. But I really appreciate you joining in and hopefully some more people will link up! Have a great day!
.-= Kari´s last blog ..Recipe Remake: Low-Fat, Heart Healthy Pumpkin Pear Muffins (That Taste Really Good) =-.
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In your Sept 29 Carnival post, you included a recipe that sounds a lot like Hamburger Helper to me – ” John Mastro presents Dads Classic Cheeseburger Macaroni posted at John Mastro.net.” Maybe that (or some variation) will satisfy the boys?
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..House with an Open Door =-.
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 1:45 am
Totally bookmarked that one – just haven’t tested it yet!
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Jen Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 2:59 am
I made this last week, and it was good! I used whole wheat pasta, so I had to add extra water and cook a bit longer. We really liked it.
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Ummm, I guess they hide in the fake butter we have to buy (butter is waaaaay too expensive in
Japan,) the instant ramen and the sweets and snack we sometimes buy. We’re actually pretty good with food lately, mostly because we try to stay within our budget.
.-= kanmuri´s last blog ..A Korean Tale, Part 2 =-.
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I am always amazed at how many things have partially hydrogenated oil in them. I have sent emails to Meijer and Arnies telling them I am boycotting thei baked goods until they switch to a healthier oil, and I’ve started asking what kind of oil is used in restaurants. It’s annoying how many labels I have to read to find a cracker or cake mix with zero trans fat. If you find a hamb helper sub, let us know. I’m not a fan, but my kids love it and it was so easy on swimming lesson night!
.-= susan´s last blog ..Easy Peasy Chili =-.
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 1:46 am
I know, especially since you always have to go all the way to the ingredients b/c the nutrition facts can say “zero” when there’s some in there!
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the hillbilly housewife has a recipe for homemade hamburger helper that has been a hit at my house. may have to make a few substitutions to suit your family but it might be a good place to start
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Hamburger Helper substitution – brown ground beef, add a pint of canned homemade marinara sauce (http://commonsensehomesteading.blogspot.com/2009/09/more-tomato-goodness-canning-spaghetti.html) or salsa (http://commonsensehomesteading.blogspot.com/2009/09/sassy-salsa-or-how-i-get-my-kids-to.html). Boil noodles of your choice separately, mix and serve (with the marinara), or use the beef/salsa mix as a taco filling. Serve with a side of additional veggies, or load up your tacos with extra veggies.
This is one of our quick “go to” meals.
I’ll have to post my favorite brownie recipe – super easy and uses butter. Homemade tortillas are pretty simple, too, they just take extra time. we find them to be much more filling than the ones we buy at the store.
Eating out = generally not a yummy. We usually only go out with my in-laws, but I have been talking them into coming over for dinner more frequently. Tastier and less expensive.
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Laurie,
Katie
I love making homemade tortillas – I’ll be sharing my method in a few weeks, along with the flour I use for FREE for one of you!
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Katie, I just love your posts. What a terrible way for a waitress to behave! I have been doing better at keeping some of the bad stuff out of our house. Albertsons had some ‘organic’ saltines that only had 3 or 4 ingredients and they tasted just like the original. Unfortunately I have not been able to find them the last few times I have gone there. I have made my own graham crackers before but that is kind of tedious. I am looking forward to your tortilla recipe:)
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Tanya,
The tedious-ness of making homemade is always the problem…I could never keep up with making crackers for my family 100% of the time, and there are only 4 of us!
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When my kids were small, I made some type of hamburger helper at least a couple times a month. I haven’t found a good substitute for it but how can you compete with all that salt and artificial stuff? It doesn’t taste the same and everyone notices. So, I just quit buying it and started making other stuff that they like better. I’m not sure what to tell you about your husband and son, maybe find something else that they like to make together?
I like the idea of the 80/20 approach to food. It can be a little overwhelming if I allow yourself no wiggle room especially on a budget.
.-= DarcyLee´s last blog ..Everything I Never Wanted to Know About Poison Ivy =-.
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Annie’s makes “Skillet Meals” that are kind of similar to Hamburger Helper. I didn’t look too closely at the ingredients, but they tend to make slightly healthier convenience foods. We may or may not have had the Cheddar and Herb Chicken one night when I didn’t know what to cook.
It looks like they have them on Amazon, although for almost twice as much as I paid for them on sale at Kroger.
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 2:02 am
For the boys, this might be the one to try… Thanks for the tip, Brittany!
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I know what you mean about the farmed salmon. In Vancouver BC I was at the Westin and asked if the “Pacific Salmon” was wild as the name impied. They came back and said it was farmed. I told them they should be ashamed and ordered something else. Keep upgood work.
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Gigi Reply:
October 8th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I have been doing the same thing recently.
I have been able to find tortillas and refried beans that don’t have hydrogenated by looking for the more ethnic sources. Look for stores/brands that carry Mexican/Latin products – they still use the traditional ingredient lard. The tortillas are fantastic tasting and very addiction; and actually the beans are too. I can also buy lard in bulk at the same store so that I have now deep fat fried (careful to not let the oil burn=bad) scrumptious donuts and fried chicken (salivating).
For other foods, that I make where the coconut oil and butter is a pain (or since I rarely have the lard on hand or it is frozen solid), I use palm shortening – It is not hydrogenated (wiki the word shortening) but just natural palm oil in it’s room temperature solid state minus the red, taste, smell. I buy mine from tropical traditions in bulk.
Also, we have Fresh and Easy store here which, being a European store, carries many products, included processed snacks, that have palm oil instead of hydrogenated oils. I can’t believe that I actually enjoy peanut butter- I really think it tastes better!
And side note: I discovered that “pacific salmon” is actually a variety of the fish. Pacific salmon caught wild in the Pacific ocean (not farmed) would be “wild caught pacific salmon.”
Oh and surprisingly, my evaporated milk (cheap brand) had hydrogenated soybean oil (grrr) and so I often use cream+milk instead.
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Graham crackers – my little ones love them.
I’d love to know your brownie recipe. I’m trying to find a tasty, yet somewhat healthy recipe and just haven’t found it yet.
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 2:03 am
Pam,
I haven’t even thought about posting it, but maybe as a “healthy fat” treat. ?? Have you tried the black bean brownies linked at the bean carnival last week? I tried them and they are actually so good! We were shocked.
Katie
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Pam Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Thanks so much for letting me know about this!
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Jen Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:08 am
This is my favorite brownie recipe so far, including the homemade chocolate chunks! My husband says they taste “gourmet”.
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/healthy-treat-for-today-chocolate-chip-brownies
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I can totally relate to your restaurant story!! I was eating at a hotel buffet that had some seafood and a little urn dispenser for butter. I was very suspicious of it b/c I did not think it looked like butter or smell like butter. I asked at least 2 or 3 different people if it was *real* butter. They looked at me like I had a six inch booger hanging out of my nose and all insisted that it was real butter. I think they lied to me. It never solidified as it cooled and it was clear (no frothy stuff – I highly doubt it was clarified butter or ghee). Warm butter colored oil. Gross!
I also stopped buying hamburger helper but have tried making my own skillet meals to copy some of theirs. Some of them are not too hard to imitate, and I save time by cooking ground beef in advance and freezing it, then it is ready to go, even if I forget to thaw it, it’s easy to reheat from frozen. (I do the same with chicken – chopped up chicken leftover from roasting.) One could also use leftover rice, and when it comes to noodles, how long does it really take to cook noodles anyways? Throw in some frozen veggies, tortilla chips or whatever the topping is and voila! Skillet meal!
If you have access to Trader Joes, they have transfat free tortillas. I’m thinking about trying to make my own so I can soak the flour and whatnot… but for now I am thankful for TJ!
What about “fat free” refried beans? Those are just mashed up beans, aren’t they? IIRC, “beans” is the only ingredient…
Cake mix and frosting, especially, are toughies. As far as I know, cake mix would have to be an organic one. I did get frosting inspiration from you though and made a frosting out of yogurt for DS’ last birthday! I strained it until it was frosting consistency and added a fair amount of honey/maple syrup to make it quite sweet and also some vanilla extract. It had a yogurty zing, but I thought that was nice and also was happy to be eating probiotics with my cake!! (DH and siblings also liked it, just didn’t want me to try to pass it off as “regular” frosting.)
Looking forward to reading your recipes!
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 2:05 am
Very cool that the frosting worked! (I know what you mean about serving friends though – many people don’t have the trained taste buds for yogurt or less sweetener.)
Katie
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Tweets that mention Sneaky Trans Fats: Where are they in YOUR Home? -- Topsy.com // Oct 6, 2009 at 4:49 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Katie Kimball. Katie Kimball said: New post: Sneaky Trans Fats: Where are they in YOUR Home?: I’m ashamed to admit it, but there ar.. http://bit.ly/3ZzTHY [...]
Honestly, I think trans fats are completely out of my house. I watched them and kept them low for a while, but since my recent whole foods initiative began
I haven’t bought any.
I bought lard from a local farm to replace my Crisco. And I’ve never been one to buy boxed brownie or cake mixes, although I got to try a Naturally Nora brownie mix for my blog, and they are all natural.
I haven’t bought hamburger helper in years. EW. LOL!!
For your hub and son – organic jarred spaghetti sauce (or your homemade canned version) and whole wheat spaghetti? Easy peasy!
.-= Musings of a Housewife´s last blog ..What I Learned This Week =-.
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 2:07 am
Spaghetti was my first thought for boys’ night, too, but this is a man for whom Christmas depends on putting together the fake tree…he’s deep into tradition, and HH has become part of that for the boys. Stubborn as a mule!
Glad you’re LOL’ing at me eating “EW” food more recently than you!
KT
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I have a great recipe for Hamburger Helper….I Heat a pan, throw in 1/4 cup of onions with 2 tbsp of olive or coconut oil, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 tbsp of soya sauce. Put in your meat for browning and cook while crumbling. I use ground chicken, or ground wild meat, use brown rice pasta noodles in the style preferred (usually spirals). Once the meat is cooked, (feel free to add spices to taste), put 2 cups of noodles into the pan and add enough water to cover the noodles (this part is exactly like on the box, except). When the mixture comes to a boil, add 1 tbsp cornstarch (or potato starch) mixed with a tiny bit of water and stir until evenly distributed, while turning off heat.
It is pretty tasty…I made it for some friends to show them a much cheaper and healthier way to eat it…and they were all impressed.
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Hi Katie~
I have really enjoyed your blog! I have used a homemade hamburger helper recipe for years now and everyone loves it …
It is officially called “Speedy Skillet Pasta” (I have no idea where it came from or who to give credit to). I will type out the recipe as it reads and put my notes in parenthesis because I do it a little differently. This recipe works great as a “Hamburger Helper ” one skillet-type meal if you do it as it reads and I have done it that way many times but I do a lot of mega cooking and so I usually double, triple or even quadruple this and I don’t have a skillet big enough to hold it all!
So, when I’m doing that I usually cook the rotini separately and add it all together (in a *big* pot) and bag it for future meals. It freezes well. It is delicious and always a crowd pleaser. Enjoy!!
1 lb. ground beef
1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (or homemade)
2 C water (I cook rotini separately so this isn’t necessary)
3 C rotini pasta (I use whole wheat and as mentioned above, I cook it separately)
1 – 15 oz. container of ricotta or cottage cheese (can’t wait to make my own for this!)
8 oz. (2 C) grated mozarella (this is a minimum – I LOVE cheese!)
The recipe reads:
To browned meat, stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Bring to a boil and turn heat to low. Stir in pasta and cover. Cook 15 minutes. Stir in ricotta, cover and cook 5 more minutes. Stir in 1/2 mozarella . Turn heat off. Sprinkle remaining mzarella on top. Cover and let stand 5 more minutes until cheese melts. Yields 4 servings.
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Katie Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 2:14 am
Mmmmmm! I am making mozz and ricotta this weekend – and my book club is next week – perhaps that’s not a coincidence! I wonder if I can get dh to try this recipe. Maybe I should write it out on a box like HH just to set the scene for them…
THANK YOU! Katie
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elaine Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I hope you like it – we love it! It’s sort of a “fake lasagna” and every ingredient can be real food!
We have a funny family story about it that I can share offline if you would like … suffice it to say, it will be more appealing if you will cook it as a “Hamburger Helper”-type dish rather than mega cook the first time. It looks sort of gross all mushed up in a baggie before you spread it out and cover it with cheese
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I think the Meijer Naturals cake mixes are totally trans free.
.-= susan´s last blog ..Coping =-.
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What a goal, no trans fat, I have not done inventory on my cupboards in a while, now you have me thinking.
http://stolenmomentscooking.com has been my favorite place to look for replacements to boxed items. I believe she has a couple hamburger helper variations. Just to give you one last boost, we only use REAL butter, so come on up for supper any time!
.-= Sonja´s last blog ..Fall Carnival Giveaway Day 3 =-.
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Before I forget – I usually use sweetened whip cream instead of regular frosting. The boys love it. The basic recipe is one cup cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar, but you can substitute stevia powder with good results. Just whip the cream, adding the vanilla and sweetener near the end.
My SIL was so confused when I tried to explain to her what the “frosting” was. (She doesn’t bake at all unless it’s a mix or out of a can.) She said she “didn’t like CoolWhip, but this was really good’. I actually dug the carton out of the garbage to show her what it looked like, as she was still confused even after both my husband and I explained what the product was….as you can imagine, it’s really hard to discuss nutrition at family gatherings.
.-= Laurie N´s last blog ..More Tomato Goodness – Canning Spaghetti Sauce =-.
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Katie Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Laurie,
Thank you so much! Do you get your cream really cold before you whip it? It seems to take a long time to get to whipped for me.
I hear you on the “food conversations” with family issue!
Katie
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Laurie N Reply:
October 12th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I don’t do anything special, but I do have a high power stand mixer, a big honking KitchenAid. MORE POWER! (Insert masculine grunt here.
I used to cater for years (my summer job through high school and college – family catering business). My mom and sisters got me the mixer for a wedding gift. Fifteen years and it’s still going strong, although I do generally only use it for whipping, occasionally ice cream making and dough making. I hand mix almost everything else.
.-= Laurie N´s last blog ..Healthy Homebrew – Kombucha =-.
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We are fortunate to have several brands of crackers (saltines, graham and Ritz-type) in our area that are only have 3 or 4 “real” (organic) ingredients and no hydrogenated and yucky oils. They are all very tasty. One of the brand names totally escapes me at the moment but the other is “Back to Nature”. They are even at Wal-Mart (as well as Kroger, Publix and Whole Foods).
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*sigh* Crackers here, too. Try as I might, I just have not been able to find a recipe for crackers – or suitable, decent-tasting storebought crackers – that can be topped with peanut butter, cheese, etc. (I have made graham crackers in the past, though.)
And my hubby eats microwave popcorn. The one we prefer (Act II) actually switched to coconut oil (Yay!!! I called and thanked them!) but it has recently become harder to find in our local supermarket.
.-= Rachel R.´s last blog ..Quotable – housework =-.
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I am pretty good about not letting trans fats into my cupboards, but sometimes when my job is stressing me out, I eat junky vending-machine type stuff – like M&Ms or even Doritos (I know! But there they are – and there is literally nothing non-toxic in a vending machine.)
Now and then, I go for breakfast at a diner, and politely ask if they have real butter for the toast. (I don’t dare ask about the grill-grease.) They do tend to look at me like I’ve used up my diva points, but they always rustle up the butter from somewhere.
Re: a hamburger helper substitute – would a cream-sauce element help replace the nasty overprocessed ingredients? Maybe if you made a big batch of creamy sauce (butter, onions, flour, broth, cream) and froze it in small lumps that could be chucked into the pan with the tomatoes, after the ground beef?
Whipped cream frosting is glorious – the only downside is that it tends to melt back into liquid form.
I can’t explain why, but I’ve noticed that whipping (cold) cream in a (cold) steel bowl with a whisk is faster than using a mixer.
For snacks to have around that feature good fats, I recommend homemade soaked granola made with coconut oil, fruits, nuts, etc. It’s easy to make a lot at one time and keep it in a big jar.
Of course, Nourishing Traditions crackers made with butter are incredibly delicious – easier with a lot of white flour on the counter and rolling pin – and definitely make them in quantity. They go great with liverwurst! ( I hadn’t had liverwurst for 20 years, (I hate liver, though I’m working on it!) but tried it earlier this year and loved it as much as when I was a little kid – maybe your kids will like it too?)
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Katie Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 2:41 am
Maizy, What an incredible list of suggestions (and confessions – you’re a hoot!). I hope you will do more than just pass through – it’s so helpful to hear many ideas from many people. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t updated this post with my awesome hamburger helper success here: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/10/23/successful-hamburger-helper-substitute/ A cream sauce would be a good next step, although I have to perfect the Mexican version first.
I can’t say I’ve had liverwurst, although I bet my dad has offered it to me. I’ll have to take the plunge next time I get the opportunity!
I love granola, but I haven’t converted to soaked yet (terrible, I know). Someday…
Thanks again for all the great ideas!!
Katie
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CatholicMom.com » Columnists Katie Kimball » Why My 5-Year-Old had no Toys at his Birthday Party by Katie Kimball // Jul 14, 2010 at 1:01 pm
[...] bread sandwiches with hydrogenated fat-laden peanut butter. *hair stands on end* (How I feel about trans fats.) It was hard to think about feeding kids food I knew was bad for [...]
Your Life Your Blog: October 12, 2009 | Real Life // Jul 24, 2010 at 10:05 pm
[...] Kit Stew (Sneaky Trans Fats – see comments!) [...]