Shortening Started Our Love for Trans Fat

It all started in the early 1900s with the invention of hydrogenated oils. German chemist Wilhelm Normann patented the process that would create what we came to love as Crisco. Proctor & Gamble obtained the patent and began marketing Crisco and even gave out free cook books. The shortening stayed soft and smooth and never hardened like butter. It wasn't until 1994 that we discovered that trans fats have caused the death of 20,000 Americans every year since it's creation. Over 1.8 million Americans have had heart attacks from trans fat since the 1900s! It was only recently that the US required food companies to list trans fat amounts on it's products.

I know many of you never knew what trans fats were. We all heard about high sodium and saturated fats but who knew there was so much danger lurking in hydrogenated oils after we have been using it for over 100 years. Be smart and read the ingredients on what you buy. You will be better for it.