Spotted* Raspberry Turnover Might Turn Your Stomach
Sunday mornings might never be the same.
For me, it wouldn’t be a true Sunday morning without a copy of the New York Times, a cup of tea ( not a coffee drinker ) and something fresh from the bakery just up the block. Around 3 a.m. the smell of donuts, tarts and turnovers emanates from the tiny store and invades my sleep on a daily basis. This past weekend however, my favorite sweet shop was closed as the owners were on vacation. So I was forced to get my Sunday danish from the local Stop & Shop grocery store. A mistake that I will be sure not to make again.
Pastries and baked goods have notoriously been recognized as trans fat offenders for some time. Manufacturers use ingredients such as margarine and other imitation butters to enhance the flavor and improve shelf life. Store brand products are usually cheaper than the name brands as they can produce essentially the same item without the advertising costs. Additionally, store brands tend to use less than top shelf ingredients to keep their profit margins as high as possible.
The Stop & Shop I frequent, as do most chain grocery stores, has it’s own in house bakery. I picked up a four pack of Raspberry Turnovers to complete my Sunday morning routine. I hadn’t even thought to check the nutrition facts label before it was too late and I had already ate my fill. It turns out that each turnover ( no pun intended ) contained 4.5 grams of trans fat and an equal amount of saturated fat. That amounts to 160 of the total 360 calories coming from fat in each turnover. After reading the ingredients list I found the source of the trans fat to be a healthy dosage of margarine.
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The verdict - Since mom and pop bakeries aren’t required to list their ingredients, the only way to check out what your eating is to ask the owner if he/she uses any shortening or other butter substitutes. And always be sure to check the nutrition info, especially on store brands.
Transfatspotting.com - Choose Healthy.
