Hydrogenated oils/ trans fats - the Alfie Elmlea Challenge

The Alfie Elmlea Challenge! Assisted by Roz Watkins of The Enlighten Programme, Alfie the cat checks out Elmlea double cream substitute. This has "33% less fat" and fewer calories than cream, but is it really healthier than cream? It contains hydrogenated vegetable oils (which turn into the deadly trans fats). Will Alfie notice the difference between Elmlea and real cream? Will she eat Elmlea? Or will she know it contains harmful ingredients like hydrogenated oils and trans fats and give it a wide berth?

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Alfie Elmlea Challenge
• Alfie
• hydrogenated oils
• trans fats
• hydrogenated fats
• roz watkins
• Elmlea healthy
• Elmlea calories
• hydrogenated vegetable oils

[elaine181000]

To be honest, that's pretty scary. A great experiment!

[nondietweightloss]

Thanks! We thought it was scary too...Unilever have removed hydrogenated oils from their margarines in response to the evidence, so why are they still in Elmlea?! We need to check out what a few more cats think about it now!

[mrspollyweather]

It's all a big fat con. The NICE committee say 40,000 deaths a year are caused by trans fats but people still believe the myth that the natural saturated fats i.e animal fats, that we evolved on, are the baddies. You don't get fat from eating fat, it's carbs that make you fat... they don't fatten animals for market by feeding them lard and butter they given them grain. The food companies get rich by poisoning us and the drug companies get even richer by making pills for the results!!

[galwayshauna]

That's hilarious!

[simonjh4]

Unilever used to say on the label that it contained hydrogenated fats. Now they have come under pressure to remove such harmful ingredients. So what have they done? Removed such ingredients? Not likely! Instead they've just stopped listing them. This is a large multinational company. Their behavior is not just silly - it's also morally reprehensible.

[bio2451]

My tub of Elmlea Double doesn't say 'Hydrogenated' vegetable oil', only 'vegetable fat' (26% as well).

Does it mean they might have changed the ingredient since ? Or just the wording ?!!

Well if I trust anything that's the 'f*ck it' expression on Alfie's face when he's only left the Elmlea. Thanks Alfie, now we know.

[EasyYoghurts]

Great experiment, loved the look on Alfie's face whilst Alfie thought it through!!

[CrissySnow]

if ur cat doesnt eat it then u shouldnt eat it

[roseyimage]

Good to see cats know what is natural. I can't believe that they are putting hydrogenated oil in cream - why?? Cream is a natural product - why mess with nature. If it isn't broken why try to fix it. Good one Alfie and come on Elmlea cut out the unnecessary additives.

[denisdaphne]

So much for the rural idyll conjured up by elms and leas. Reminds me of similar phrases they used to apply to cancerous cigarettes. You have done a public service. Thanks and congratulations on a brilliant piece of research. So simple anyone can try it.

[protosaur]

Great experiment - though i did get a bit confused over which bowl was which! Unilever actually told me that their Elmlea has very low levels of trans fats, and it may be true ... but it's still pretty horrible. Give me cream any day!