TabsMagic

Scientists are concerned that there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. Despite a large amount of negative press about trans fast, they are still being widely used by food manufacturers in the UK. Scientists say that that they are not even necessary as an ingredient in food and a safe level of trans fat consumption does not exist.
 
The majority of people are now aware that fats essentially fall into two categories. One is good fats that are unsaturated and the other is bad fasts that are saturated. The saturated fats are mostly found in fried foods, dairy products and meat and eating too much of them puts the person at risk of heart problems and stroke. Unsaturated fats such as polyunsaturates and monounsaturates are mostly obtained from plants and are beneficial to health.

Trans fast are industrially produced trans fatty acids and are much more damaging to the arteries and heart than saturated fats. They are created by turning liquid vegetable oils into solid fats via an industrial process called hydrogenation. For this reason trans fats are also known as hydrogenated fats. For more than 100 years food manufacturers have been using them in products such as cereals, pastries, cakes, chips, biscuits as they provide a longer shelf life.
 
In the UK, there is no legal requirement for retailers or food manufacturers to mention that their products contain trans fats. However, they are obliged to mention the presence of hydrogenated fats. (They are the same thing.) These will be listed as Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (PHVO) or hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (HVO). Also the word ‘shortenings’ indicates trans fat content.
 
Many countries have banned the use of trans fats but in the UK there is only a “Voluntary agreement adopted by the British Retail Consortium, representing 85% of retailers in the market, to phase out trans fats as an ingredient in their own-brand products. However, there are no sanctions for those producers who drag their heels, and the voluntary commitment does not cover imported foods.”

So at the moment it seems that the consumer will have instigate the boycott!

Yoga for Kids is taking off in the UK, with the rising obesity levels linked to inactivity in children, this is surely a good thing?

Britain is also experiencing an increased interest in yoga for children. One such programme is called Yoga Bugs. Founder and director Fenella Lindsell recently turned down a £200,000 funding offer from the Dragons on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den. She works with children up to age 13 and has 40,000 of them taking her classes via the franchises she is licensing.

She says the way to keep the little ones interested is by asking them questions at the same time as they are doing the class…..that way she can keep their attention……..and a bit of education at the same time!

Fenella adds, “Yoga is truly holistic. Children get physical, emotional and mental benefits from it. Sporty ones can improve their performance. Not-so-sporty children can find a flexibility they didn’t know they had,” adding that “We also teach the techniques to teachers, who use them in short bursts throughout the day in order to calm children down, or energise them.”

Sosend them off and await the return of a calm and relaxed vibe!!