Chicago-based dietitian Bonnie Minsky owns a 25-year-old Hostess cupcake still in pristine form.
Minsky has used it over the years to show her clients the dangers of trans fat.
With the world turning its attention to trans fats, she feels it is the perfect time to use the ancient cupcake as a symbol of why trans fats should be removed from the food supply.
At the beginning of her career in 1981, Minsky wanted to show school kids the difference between real and fake food.
She purchased a Hostess Cupcake and let it sit for a few months. As she suspected, it kept its form and did not break down, unlike an apple, which started to spoil in a few days.
Minsky says the petrified treat still looks great at the quarter century mark, which sends a strong message to her clients about the danger of trans fat.
Trans fat, which is chemically altered by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, has become a lightning rod for the food industry worldwide. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are most often found in fried foods, cookies, crackers, cupcakes, donuts or anything that benefits from a longer shelf life.
“The funny thing is, except for artificial flavor and partially hydrogenated oil, the ingredients in the cupcake are all real," said Minsky. "It shows you the incredible shelf life that trans fats provide. What it does to our body is another story.”
Last month, published research from Harvard's prestigious Nurse's Health Study showed that women who consume 6 percent of their calories from trans fat gain up to 12 pounds more over an eight year period than those who consume none. The National Academy of Sciences has also said that trans fat increases levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowers levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.
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