The Trans Fat Dilemna

Trans fats (also known as partially hydrogenated oils) are commercially produced fats made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils. The process turns liquid fats into solid ones.

Recent laws in New York City and California have banned these artery-clogging trans fats from restaurant and bakery products.

It’s an issue that hits kosher bakeries especially hard. For years they’ve been dependent on baking mixes containing trans fat to make parve cakes, cookies and pastries. Recently, a Los Angeles Jewish newspaper reporter asked me to address the problem.

At home, it's not too difficult to use liquid oil in place of solid fats like margarine. Or to use a little butter for dairy baking.

But commercial baking is different.

The obvious choice is a liquid vegetable oil. Health-oriented bakeries do this, but it's expensive. And you can't just substitute liquid oil for solid fat. Recipes need to be re-formulated. Baked goods won't have the same taste, texture and long shelf life that we’re used to.

So most commercial bakeries are switching to new trans fat-free baking fats.

What’s the “new” ingredient in most of them? Highly saturated palm oil.

It wasn’t that long ago that palm oil was taken out of baked goods. Now they’re putting it back in as a substitute for trans fat.

So it’s either hydrogenation or increased saturated fat. Not a great choice, in my opinion.

The best bet is to eat fewer baked goods altogether. The sugar and fat in coffee cake, rugelach, cookies and donuts has not served our health well at all.

Another option: bake at home.

Legislation is a start. But only when consumers demand healthier products from kosher bakeries will they respond by baking healthier products.