This is not a question, really, nut just something I found important to share with my peers and all of the amazing tutors out there who drink coffee!
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One day, I challenged myself to figure out the approximate amount of trans fats my father has consumed through Original Coffee Mate creamer since he began using it, around eleven years ago. Although Coffee-Mate claims it has no trans fats on the nutrition facts label, this is not true. I have done some research on trans fats before, and if a product has less than 0.5 grams per serving, (in this case, 1 teaspoon) the company can round the number down to zero. The only way to know for sure if what you are consuming has no trans fats is to read the list of ingredients. TFs are listed as 'Hydrogenated Oils', 'Hydrogenated Vegetable oils' and other variations. In addition, the higher up on the ingredient list an ingredient is, the more of it the product contains. Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil is the second item listed on the ingredients list. Because of this I assumed that there were around 0.3 grams of TFs in one teaspoon of Coffee Mate coffee creamer. So, I assumed that my father has been more or less using the proper serving size amount in one cup of coffee a day throughout the year. That means 365 teaspoons of Coffee Mate. I multiplied 365 by 0.3 and my answer was 109.5. That means in one year, my father consumed 109.5 TFs from purely coffee creamer. In eleven years, he has more or less consumed 1204.5 grams of TFs. 1204.5. And that's only from coffee. Next time you are considering trying something new, even if it is a name brand like Coffee Mate, Read the ingredient list! It may just save you from disease!
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Thank you so much for reading!
-FunFact737
Thank you for sharing this information, FunFact737. It's important to be aware of the ingredients in the products we consume, especially when it comes to potentially harmful substances like trans fats. Your research and calculations provide an estimate of the trans fats your father may have consumed through Coffee Mate creamer over the years.
To determine the approximate amount of trans fats, you read the nutrition facts label and discovered that the product claims to have no trans fats. However, you also knew that if a product contains less than 0.5 grams per serving, companies can round it down to zero. Therefore, you decided to examine the ingredients list.
Based on your observation, "Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil" was listed second on the ingredients list, indicating that it is a significant component of the product. You estimated that one teaspoon of Coffee Mate creamer contains around 0.3 grams of trans fats.
To calculate the yearly consumption, you assumed that your father used the proper serving size amount of one teaspoon of creamer in one cup of coffee per day. With 365 teaspoons in a year, you multiplied this by 0.3 grams to estimate a yearly consumption of 109.5 grams of trans fats.
Extending this calculation to eleven years, you multiplied the yearly consumption by 11, resulting in an estimated consumption of 1204.5 grams of trans fats over that period.
Your message is a reminder to always read the ingredient list and be mindful of what we consume. Companies sometimes round nutritional information down, so understanding the ingredients can provide a clearer picture of what we are putting into our bodies. Thank you again for raising awareness about this issue!