Rush University Medical Center Switches to Trans Fat-free Cooking Oil

17/08/06 Rush University Medical Center is "losing the trans fat" and has switched to a healthier, trans fat-free cooking oil in the medical center's kitchen and cafeterias -- a switch that will benefit patients, staff, and even makes the cardiologists smile.

"As a leading healthcare institution, we thought it was important to take a look at the health content in our cooking ingredients and find a way to get the trans fat out of our fried foods. By switching to this healthier oil, it not only benefits our 9,000 staff (who purchase food at the cafeterias), but also our 600 in-hospital patients," says Marcy Stone, RD/LD, Assistant Director of Food and Nutrition services. "Feedback I've received from staff says the food still tastes great."

Rush is among the first hospitals to publicly announce a switch to new healthier oils from partially hydrogenated soybean oil, an industry standard that is notoriously high in trans fats. The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported that trans fats lead to a substantially increased risk of heart disease, even at low levels of consumption.

Fortunately, new oils have been developed that offer a better health profile without compromising taste or kitchen performance. Among these is Ventura Foods' Mel-Fry Free(TM) frying oil, which is made from new canola seeds bred by Dow AgroSciences. These new oils, which have a unique combination of high oleic and low linolenic fatty acid content, containing zero trans fats and are naturally lower in saturated fats, making them a healthier choice for restaurants and foodservice providers.

In recent nutritional tests conducted by the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, food prepared with these new oils had the lowest combined level of trans fats and saturated fats among 10 different oils tested. Nutrition analysis demonstrated that the foods fried in these canola and sunflower oils had 65 percent lower levels of combined trans fats and saturated fats than the same foods fried in partially hydrogenated oils.

Stone says menu items that are prepared in the Mel-Fry Free(TM) oil are some of the staff's favorites. Breakfast and lunch items, such as hash browns, scrambled eggs, chicken fingers, chicken wings and egg rolls are being prepared in the trans fat-free oil. These new canola oils can achieve "zero trans fat" and "low saturated fat" per-serving claims in both the U.S. and Canada.

Rush cardiologist Dr. Annabelle Volgmann says it's a win-win for everyone. "Patients discuss trans fat with me regularly, and it's a growing concern for everyone. It's great that we are taking the lead and offering patients and families trans fat-free food items. I'm all for preventing heart disease by taking the bad fats out of food, and now we're doing that in our kitchens."

Consumer taste studies have shown that these oils perform equal to, or better than, existing frying oils without compromising taste. Jeffrey Gross Marketing Research conducted a study with 170 adults and 179 teenagers and found that french fries prepared using the new canola oil were equally preferred to fries prepared using partially hydrogenated soybean oil. One of the test markets was Chicago.

It is estimated that over five billion pounds of hydrogenated oils are used each year by the restaurant and foodservice industry.

Rush dietitian Kristin Gustashaw says, "While it's great we've switched to the trans fat- free oil, it's important to remember that the calories are the same in both fats. We don't recommend a diet high in fried foods, but these foods can be eaten once in a while, in moderation, as part of a healthy diet plan."

Rush University Medical Center is an academic medical center that encompasses the 600 staffed-bed hospital (including Rush Children's Hospital), the Johnston R. Bowman Health Center and Rush University. Rush University, with more than 1,270 students, is home to one of the first medical schools in the Midwest, and one of the nation's top-ranked nursing colleges. Rush University also offers graduate programs in allied health and the basic sciences. Rush is noted for bringing together clinical care and research to address major health problems, including arthritis and orthopedic disorders, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, neurological disorders and diseases associated with aging.