Connecticut Personal Trainer Urges Local Restaurants to Eliminate Trans-Fats Before New York City

A letter recently sent to over eighty restaurants in Fairfield County urged restaurant owners to take the lead in the ban of trans-fats from fried foods, baked goods, and packaged products.

(PRWEB) October 25, 2006 -- A letter recently sent to over eighty restaurants in Fairfield County urged restaurant owners to take the lead in the ban of trans-fats from fried foods, baked goods, and packaged products.

"The media attention over the ban in New York has brought this issue to the forefront of health policy and it is no longer a secret that trans-fats are bad for the health of [restaurant] patrons," said Kevin Gianni, co-owner of Lifestyle Fitness In-Home Personal Training, in his letter to the restaurateurs.

In a campaign to eliminate their usage in deep fryers and other products, Gianni has sent letters asking owners to take action, learn about the dangers of trans-fats, and replace those products with trans-fat free oils so their customers can have healthier meals.

"The numbers don't lie, more and more people are obese and the factors are evident. More people are eating on the run and out at restaurants. If the restaurants can get together and give a trans-fat ban a serious thought, they will do a great service to not only our state, but send a powerful message to the country that we don't want these poisons in our foods," said Gianni.

Trans-fats (or partially hydrogenated oils) have been the subject of scrutiny for the past few years in the health industry due to varied studies that have exposed the risk of those who ingest them.

Trans-fats were created in the 1960's as a way to extend the shelf life of packaged products so the oils in those products did not become rancid quickly. The reason they have been attacked is because once they are altered and ingested, they stay in the body just like a regular fat would but do not perform the functions of a regular fat cell. Additional fat -- particularly artificial trans-fat -- in the blood stream has been shown to cause circulatory problems including heart disease, scarred arteries, and heart attack.

To urge others to get involved, Gianni has placed the same letter he sent to these restaurants on his website (http://www.LiveAwesome.com/public/347.cfm). Here, anyone can download it, print it out, and bring it to a restaurant they eat at frequently to show their support of this local ban.

###