California: The Nanny State?

I know the libertarians in California are freaking out about the recent legislation passed by the state’s lawmakers that will ban restaurants from cooking with artery-clogging fat as of January 2010. On that date, “most foods that require shortening, oils and margarines” will have to be trans-fat free.

Then, as of January 2011, trans fats will be forbidden in all baked goods produced in the state.

California is the first state to take this step; I feel it in my bones (and heart) that other states will follow suit. New York City gets credit as the first municipality to enact such a law. Their ban began July 1, and my guess is that no one has died or had an anxiety attack because they didn’t get their trans-fat fix.

Some whiners think they should be allowed to do whatever they want—even eat really bad stuff that will cause them to run up medical bills at the expense of the rest of us. But truth be told, I’ll bet the high-fat foods that use trans fats now aren’t going to taste a whole lot differently when they use other oils.

And these fatty foods certainly aren’t going to have any fewer calories. When it comes to calories, fat is fat is fat.

As nurses, we need to remind people about this—and here’s a little ammunition when your audience thinks you’re meddling or nagging. (I found the following in the August 2008 issue of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch.) According to research published in the May 8, 2006 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, there are five health problems that put people in nursing homes: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, inactivity and smoking.

Eating trans fats contributes to the first three, which lead to the fourth. I guess we can’t blame trans fats on smoking, although I’d like to.

The representatives of the restaurant industry are whining, too.

They complain that how they cook their food should be dictated by public demand, not legislators. But perhaps they forget that the legislature reflects public sentiment, and anyway, many restaurants have been phasing out trans fats because that’s what their customers want. Everybody from McDonald’s to Spago’s is changing the way they cook —because that’s what customers want.

California led the nation in making restaurants and bars smoke-free and ever-so-much-nicer, and in doing so, increased their customer base. Now the state is stepping to the head of the line to ban the use of trans fats. This is an excellent move—and one less thing we have to worry about when dining out.

Are there any moves afoot in your state to ban the use of trans fats?

Do you think it’s a good move to ban the use of trans fats in restaurants?

Do you think it’s the government’s responsibility to do this, or should individuals have a choice?

Tell us what you think.