Trans Fats

A Lexington Market carry-out has been fined for alleged violations of Baltimore's curb on the use of trans fats by local food facilities. The Healthy Choice store, at 400 W. Lexington St., received a $100 environmental citation, the first enforcement action since the ban took effect in September 2009. Health Department inspectors in July found the store using margarine containing 3 grams of trans fat per serving, according to Juan Gutierrez, assistant commissioner for environmental health.

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center will provide a guest post to The Baltimore Sun's health blog Picture of Health (baltimoresun.com/pictureofhealth). This week, Debra Schulze, RD, LDN, weighs in on stroke prevention. A stroke, also called a "brain attack," can occur at any age. The good news is simple changes may significantly reduce your risk. Nutrition and exercise are two key modifiable behaviors. Go Mediterranean The Mediterranean Diet, rich in beneficial oils, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and low in cholesterol and animal fat, has been shown in studies to reduce risk of stroke and heart attack.

Golden hot oil burbles in generous vats at dozens of food stands throughout the Maryland State Fair. Sweet and heavy, greasy and cloying, the midway wears the perfume of fried everything, its signature scent. Fried dough, fried candy bars, fried Twinkies. Fried fudge, fried mushrooms, fried onion blooms. Fried Oreos, fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fried chicken nuggets. At state fairs nationwide, pushing the limits of what to batter and oil is considered a test of heartland ingenuity, like raising prizewinning livestock or growing a record-breaking gourd.

Jason's Deli 8874 McGaw Road Columbia 410-309-5980 www.jasonsdeli.com The healthy menu consists of sandwiches, subs, salads and pasta dishes made with no high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats or MSG. There's a gluten-free menu, too. “Our variety really sets us apart,” says general manager Jay McClurkin.

Senators heard testimony yesterday on two bills aimed at reducing the use of unhealthful fats such as margarine, shortening and partially hydrogenated oils. The first bill would ban food with trans fats from being served in all food facilities across the state, including restaurants, school cafeterias, and churches and community centers that regularly serve food. The second bill would prohibit the serving of foods with trans fats in public buildings, such as cafeterias in state government buildings and public school lunchrooms.

A bill aimed at reducing the risk of heart disease among Baltimore residents was unanimously approved by the City Council yesterday, action that almost guarantees final passage of a ban on trans fats in restaurant food at a final reading Monday. "This will help to protect our children's health," said Councilwoman Agnes Welch, a sponsor of the bill who has promoted it as part of a larger effort to reduce childhood obesity. The bill needs Mayor Sheila Dixon's signature to become law. A spokesman for Dixon, who is known to follow an intense fitness regimen, said she backs the ban. Baltimore follows in the footsteps of Philadelphia, New York City and Montgomery County in trying to remove trans fats from restaurant menus.

If you crave shortening in your pie crust or french fries seeped in "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," you'll have to dine outside Baltimore. As of Sunday, Baltimore restaurants, delis, bakeries and corner lunch carts can no longer prepare food that contains 0.5 grams or more of unhealthful trans fats per serving. The city joined a growing number of places, including Montgomery County, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and California, to ban trans fats that health advocates say clog arteries and lead to heart disease.

Getting rid of trans fats in restaurant meals might be hip, but nutrition experts say it won't improve public health unless the ingredients that replace trans fats are a real improvement. "You don't want to eliminate the trans fat products and then exchange them for saturated fats. That would defeat the purpose," Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, said yesterday after top Baltimore officials endorsed a ban on trans fats.

NEW YORK -- The New York City Board of Health voted unanimously yesterday to prohibit restaurateurs from cooking with artificial trans fats, setting a precedent for public health agencies eager to take on unhealthful eating. The city's 24,000 restaurants have six months to stop frying foods in oils that contain high levels of trans fats, which are believed to be a leading cause of heart disease.

A Baltimore City councilwoman plans to introduce legislation next week to ban trans fats in restaurants, a controversial proposal that supporters argue would reduce the incidence of heart disease. The bill, sponsored by city Councilwoman Agnes Welch, follows trans fat bans enacted in Philadelphia, New York and Montgomery County and is likely to spark debate here between health advocates and restaurateurs. Any product containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil - such as shortening or margarine - would be prohibited by the legislation.

A Lexington Market carry-out has been fined for alleged violations of Baltimore's curb on the use of trans fats by local food facilities. The Healthy Choice store, at 400 W. Lexington St., received a $100 environmental citation, the first enforcement action since the ban took effect in September 2009. Health Department inspectors in July found the store using margarine containing 3 grams of trans fat per serving, according to Juan Gutierrez, assistant commissioner for environmental health.

A new law in Baltimore City prohibiting trans fats in restaurants and other eateries took effect on Sunday. Do you support the ban? Yes 50% No 46% Not sure 4% (1,116 votes, results not scientific) Next poll: : Should the Baltimore city school system automatically and permanently expel any student found to be involved in setting a fire? Vote at baltimoresun.com/vote

If you crave shortening in your pie crust or french fries seeped in "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," you'll have to dine outside Baltimore. As of Sunday, Baltimore restaurants, delis, bakeries and corner lunch carts can no longer prepare food that contains 0.5 grams or more of unhealthful trans fats per serving. The city joined a growing number of places, including Montgomery County, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and California, to ban trans fats that health advocates say clog arteries and lead to heart disease.

Man who died in city fire identified 2 City Fire Department officials have identified a man who died in a fire in the Mondawmin neighborhood of West Baltimore early Thursday, a spokesman said. Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in a house in the 2000 block of N. Smallwood St. just before 5 a.m., city fire spokesman Chief Kevin Cartwright said. After extinguishing the blaze, rescuers found the body of Willie James, 75, the spokesman said. Fire investigators were working to determine the cause of the blaze.

Flour and worry were in the air one recent morning at Hoehn's Bakery in East Baltimore as Louis Sahlender and Sharon Hoehn Hooper prepared sheets of raspberry tarts for the oven. Like most of the goods produced by the small bakery at Conkling and Banks streets, the recipe for the tarts had been handed down from prior generations. Hooper and Sahlender, who are cousins, learned the baking craft from Hooper's father, Frederick J. Hoehn. Hoehn, in turn, had been taught by his father, William, a native of Germany who installed the bakery's oven in 1927.

French fries, pastries and pie crusts still won't be healthy - but in Baltimore, at least, they will no longer contain trans fats. Baltimore joined a growing number of cities that have banished trans fats from prepared food after the City Council approved a ban last night that received little opposition from either residents or restaurateurs. The unanimous vote to ban trans fats - which are common in margarine, shortening and deep-fried foods - was cheered by supporters who say the oils can clog arteries, cause heart disease and expand waistlines.

When Joe Barbera, owner of AIDA Bistro and Wine Bar, began using nontrans-fat oils at his Columbia restaurant two years ago, he believed they were a healthier ingredient his customers would appreciate. "The whole objective was to make freshly seasoned entrees and give people the option of less fat," Barbera said. Howard County officials want other restaurant owners to follow Barbera's example. On Monday, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and Howard County Health Officer Dr. Peter L. Beilenson announced a countywide promotion of healthy restaurants - the first phase of a multilayered approach in promoting and educating the county's residents about wellness and prevention activities to improve overall health.

A bill aimed at reducing the risk of heart disease among Baltimore residents was unanimously approved by the City Council yesterday, action that almost guarantees final passage of a ban on trans fats in restaurant food at a final reading Monday. "This will help to protect our children's health," said Councilwoman Agnes Welch, a sponsor of the bill who has promoted it as part of a larger effort to reduce childhood obesity. The bill needs Mayor Sheila Dixon's signature to become law. A spokesman for Dixon, who is known to follow an intense fitness regimen, said she backs the ban. Baltimore follows in the footsteps of Philadelphia, New York City and Montgomery County in trying to remove trans fats from restaurant menus.