Recently Denmark has imposed a tax on foods containing more than 2.3% saturated fats.These include foods such as meat, milk, oil, butter, and other processed foods. Hungary has implemented a tax on foods with unhealthy levels of sugar, fat, and carbohydrate, and quebec is considering taxing soda. There has been uprising when Canada and the USA has considered these taxes, saying that it will make those who can barely afford food unable to eat and feed children. As I mentioned in my eating on a budget post previously, eating lentils, legumes, and healthy root veggies is way cheaper than feeding the family on McDonalds. However, I am opposed to Denmarks taxation.
        Personally, I think saturated fats get a bad rap. In moderation they are even beneficial to the body. Saturated fat increases tesosterone production, a protective steroid, which helps with muscle building. Dairy products contain CLA in small amounts, shown to help burn fat (although they are probably needed in high doses to have this benefit. Still, they may be doing things in the body that we are unaware of). Fat is necessary to keep you satisfied and full, and will prevent you from binge eating and overeating. It slows digestion and prevents the spike of insulin.
         Dietary cholesterol does not normally affect blood cholesterol.Eating some cholesterol is not necessarily bad for you! Mothers milk is actually about 50% cholesterol, and cholesterol is an antioxidant!!. Medium chain triglycerides can have antimicrobial properties and contribute to intestinal health. Healthy fats can enhance immune function, lead to healthy skin, hair, and nails, and even prevent disease (omega 3 fatty acids).

         I also want to mention that the tax may harm the farmers that really need the income. We should be taking money away from big industry, not the farmers that are trying to provide us with healthy, clean foods. Lets support the small business' who benefit the communities we live in, rather than the money hungry corporations. I am not at all saying to eat fatty foods and stay away from vegetables, but the low fat, high carbohydrate diets promoted in the late 80's and 90's are not successful in creating healthy, disease free bodies. Plastic wrapped, 100 calorie snack packs made from wheat and chemicals are no where near as health promoting as an egg or cauliflour. We need to go back to nature, away from the processing and chemicals, and back to real whole foods and fruit and vegetables. This is good news. We can have a steak, or a real heritage pork chop with fat, not the lean factory bred pork. Enjoy life.