Thanks for all this useful info! I just read through all it it and saved it in my files.

I just wanted to clarify one point that bugged me



The trans fatty acids that form in animal fat are in the form of CLA which is very good for you and fights free radicals. Margarine and shortening makers only add hydrogen atoms until the oil is at the desired consistency. For our health this does terrible things. These oils are also produced at high temperatures with metal catalysts and pressurized hydrogen, but the process is stopped when the oil has the proper consistency for its application. The high temperatures and catalysts used for this chemical reaction weaken the double bonds and, as a side effect, cause a large percentage of the natural Cis double bonds to change to Trans double bonds.

During the hydrogenation process, hydrogen atoms are inserted in no particular order. (Nature does it in a very controlled way.) When they stop the incomplete hydrogenation process, unsaturated fatty acids are in varying stages of hydrogenation. Some molecules are mostly hydrogenated, while others are not. And the double bonds have often shifted to unnatural positions. Each molecule can be in varying cis-/trans- configurations.

Mr. Erasmus has stated, "So many different compounds can be made during partial hydrogenation that they stagger the imagination. Scientists have barely scratched the surface of studying changes induced in fats and oils by partial hydrogenation."1 (References: 1. Fats that Heal and Fats that Kill pg. 103)


I just didnt care for the implication that natural CLA found in animal fat is dangerous like these partially hydrogenated oils. The former is based on its natural configuration which is very much controlled and the latter is simply an unorganized mess.