Nutrition and Food Information

• Issue: Trans Fat
• About Trans Fat
• Background Info On Fats
• Six rules to avoid eating bad fats (and don’t be deceived by “cholesterol free” products)
• More on the issue “fats” from the Harvard School of Public Health:
• The Good Fats
• What we learned about the nutritional value of our food

We are concerned about the ingredients we use to make our food and the types of food we offer to our guests on our menus.

Issue: Gluten free choices – Click here to see our No Gluten menu.

Issue: Trans Fat

Where ever possible we strive to eliminate Trans Fat in our recipes and menus.
Most Trans Fats are in oils used for cooking. Here at the Bavarian Grill we are using:

For our Pommes frites and the Children’s Chicken fingers in the deep fryer:

Mel-Fry Free High Performance Zero Trans Multi Purpose Oil
Mel-Fry Free is the healthier alternative to partially hydrogenated oils.

• Made with high stability, low linolenic canola oil
• Trans fat-free – no hydrogenation.
• Naturally lower in saturated fat than soybean, corn, peanut, cottonseed, and rice bran oils.
• Crisp, clean and light tasting – doesn’t interfere with natural food flavor.

For our Schnitzels and all other pan sauteed foods, our Salads and all other recipes requiring salad oils: 100% Canola Oil

Monounsaturated fat is found in olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and in most nuts and nut butters. This type of fat does not cause cholesterol to increase. When a person substitutes monounsaturated fat for saturated fat, it helps to lower the bad cholesterol, and protects the good cholesterol (HDL) from going down. Canola has the highest combined percentages of the “good fats” based on this chart published by the Harvard School of Public Health:

Please click here to read the entire Harvard School of Public Health article

Please click here to read what we found out about our foods, we serve here at the Bavarian Grill

About Trans Fat

There are four kinds of fats: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are the “good” fats. It is generally accepted that consumption of saturated fat should be kept low, especially for adults. Trans fat (which means trans fatty acids) is the worst kind of fat, far worse than saturated fat.

Partial hydrogenation is an industrial process used to make perfectly good oil, such as soybean oil, into a perfectly bad oil. The process is used to make an oil more solid; provide longer shelf-life in baked products; provide longer fry-life for cooking oils, and provide a certain kind of texture or “mouth feel.” The big problem is that partially hydrogenated oil is laden with lethal trans fat.
© 2003-06 BanTransFats.com, Inc.”

Please click here for the article

Background Info on fats:

The “good fat/bad fat” you’ve heard about refers to fat’s potential to cause disease. All fats have the same amount of calories, but their chemical compositions vary. Fats are made of chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The saturation refers to whether all the available spaces on the carbon atoms are bonded to hydrogen atoms, or if there are any hydrogen atoms missing. The three forms of fat found in nature are:

Saturated Fats
These fats have all of their carbon atoms filled with or saturated with hydrogen. Saturated fat is primarily found in high fat cuts of meat, poultry with the skin, whole and 2 percent dairy products, butter, cheese, and tropical oils: coconut, palm, and palm kernel. An eating plan high in saturated fat can cause a person’s bad cholesterol (LDL) to rise. The risk of developing certain types of cancer may be associated with a high intake of saturated fat.

Monounsaturated Fats
These fats have one space missing a hydrogen atom, instead containing a double bond between carbon atoms. Monounsaturated fat is found in olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and in most nuts and nut butters. This type of fat does not cause cholesterol to increase. When a person substitutes monounsaturated fat for saturated fat, it helps to lower the bad cholesterol, and protects the good cholesterol (HDL) from going down.

Polyunsaturated Fats
These fats have more than one space missing in the carbon chain, and contain more than one double bond as a result. Two major categories of polyunsaturated fats are Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 means there is a double bond in the third space from the end of the carbon chain. These fats are extremely healthful in that they protect against sudden death from heart attack. They also can help a person lower his or her triglycerides. Omega-3s are used by the body to produce hormone-like substances with anti-inflammatory effects. The best sources of Omega-3s are fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, and rainbow trout, among others. Canola oil, walnuts, and flaxseed also contain some. Omega-6 fats have a double bond in the sixth space from the end of the carbon chain. These fats are found in oils such as corn, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, and safflower. Omega-6 fatty acids are incorporated into hormone-like substances that promote inflammation. If one replaces saturated fats with Omega-6 fats, their total, bad, and good cholesterol levels may go down. Many health experts suggest that the ratio of Omega 6:Omega 3 fatty acids needs to be 4:1 for optimal health. (Most Americans get 14 – 20:1 — a lot more than needed!) Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats are not listed separately on the food label.

The other type of fat that is found in food, but isn’t natural, is:

Hydrogenated Fats (also known as Trans-Fats)
These are manufactured fats. They occur when hydrogen is added to a polyunsaturated fat to make it a solid at room temperature. However, instead of having the qualities of a polyunsaturated fat, it takes on the traits of a saturated fat. Hydrogenated fats are found in many brands of margarine, and in vegetable shortening. A clue in determining a less healthy fat is when it is hard at room temperature; for example, stick margarine has more trans-fats than softer tub margarine. Now some companies are making “trans-fat” free margarine products. Beware of snack items, such as crackers, cookies, and chips — many contain hydrogenated fats because they allow for a longer shelf life than butter or other fats would. Currently, hydrogenated or trans fats are not listed separately in the Nutrition Facts section of the food label. You need to read the ingredient section to find them.

Although too much can have negative results, fats are certainly required for good health. The positives — fats:

• carry flavors
• impart desirable textures — smooth, creamy, and crispy, to name a few
• give us a sense of fullness and satisfy hunger
• are needed to absorb certain vitamins and plant chemicals
• can contribute to one’s enjoyment of food

However, the calories in fat can add up fast, since they are more concentrated than in protein or carbohydrate. The effects of too much saturated fat in some people result in negative health consequences, as outlined above. The secret is not to stay to one extreme or another, but try to be flexible in one’s fat intake. What does that mean? Balance your meals and snacks. If you find you have a high fat meal (especially saturated fat), make the next one lower in fat. Or, if you choose a higher fat food, complement it with a lower fat one. We don’t have to live an “all or nothing” philosophy when it comes to fat.

From: Go ask Alice.com

We are now aware of “The great “zero grams of trans fat” labeling fraud” as described on the BanTransFats.com website and are actively searching for alternatives.

A Quote from the BanTransFats.com website:

“Many products now on supermarket shelves in the United States have labels that state that they contain zero grams of trans fats. However, you will see on the ingredients lists of many of those “zero grams of trans fat” products that they contain partially hydrogenated oil or shortening, in other words trans fat.

Isn’t this fraudulent labeling? Yes, absolutely. If a label states that a product contains zero grams of trans fat, then it should contain zero grams of trans fat, right? Right.

But believe it or not, food companies are not only allowed to engage in this fraudulent labeling – they are legally required to do so.

Under FDA regulations “if the serving contains less than 0.5 gram [of trans fat], the content, when declared, shall be expressed as zero.”

Suppose you eat a product that contains 0.4 grams of trans fat per serving and another that contains 0.3 grams of trans fat per serving. The labels state that each product contains zero grams of trans fat per serving, but you have in fact just eaten 0.7 grams of trans fat. You could eat products all day long that have zero grams of trans fat according to the labels, and end up eating 5 grams of trans fat or much more.

What not to eat

Here are six rules to help you avoid consuming partially hydrogenated oils. Don’t think for one minute that this is all you need to do for your heart and your health. Eliminating partially hydrogenated oils from your diet is just one piece of the puzzle. This is not the place to educate you about heart health and other medical issues. But if you don’t understand heart health, then learn about it – please – for your own and your family’s well-being. And if you are avoiding squarely facing up to the issue, and possibly kidding yourself, then go to a cardiologist for a checkup if you haven’t already done so. That applies to women too. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States.

Six rules to avoid eating bad fats (and don’t be deceived by “cholesterol free” products)

1. Don’t eat any product which has the words “partially hydrogenated” or “shortening” in the ingredients list.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises:

“Consumers can know if a food contains trans fat by looking at the ingredient list on the food label. If the ingredient list includes the words “shortening,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” the food contains trans fat. Because ingredients are listed in descending order of predomice, smaller amounts are present when the ingredient is close to the end of the list.”

Note: Fully hydrogenated oils do not contain trans fat. However, if the word “hydrogenated” is used without the word “partially,” that product may contain partially hydrogenated oil. Not all labeling is accurate and the word “partially” may have been wrongfully omitted on some products.

2. If the label says zero trans fats, don’t believe it. If the words “partially hydrogenated” or “shortening” are in the ingredients list, it DOES contain trans fat.

Under FDA regulations in effect in the United States, “if the serving contains less than 0.5 gram [of trans fat], the content, when declared, shall be expressed as zero.” Suppose a product contains 0.4 grams per serving and you eat four servings (which is not uncommon). You have just consumed 1.6 grams of trans fat, despite the fact that the package claims that the product contains zero grams of trans fat per serving. Changing this rule is a high priority for BanTransFats.com. We are working on it.

(In Canada, the situation is not as bad. If the serving contains less than 0.2 grams of trans fat, the content may expressed as zero. Click here for the Canadian rules.)

3. Be careful when consuming products with labels from outside the United States. Sometimes they contain partially hydrogenated oil but it’s not on the label.

4. In restaurants, bakeries, and other eateries, ask whether they use partially hydrogenated oil for frying or baking or in salad dressings. If they say they use vegetable oil, ask whether it is partially hydrogenated. Don’t be shy about asking. Assume that all unlabeled baked and fried goods contain partially hydrogenated oil, unless you know otherwise.

Ask about that fried food. Ask about the oil in the salad dressing. Ask about that donut. Ask about that pie crust. Ask about that bread. When you ask, you are sending a message to the seller of the food that you don’t want trans fats.

5. Keep saturated fat intake low too. This is very important.

6. Remember that polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fats are good fats.

One more thing. Cholesterol that affects our arteries comes from two sources: (i) animal products and (ii) bad fats. If a product is “cholesterol fee,” that doesn’t mean that it won’t raise your bad cholesterol. If the product itself contains no cholesterol but it does contain trans fat or saturated fat, it will raise your bad cholesterol.

* This is not medical advice. If you have a medical condition that requires you to eat a particular product, you should consult your doctor before making any changes.

© 2003-06 BanTransFats.com, Inc.”

More on the issue “fats” from the Harvard School of Public Health:

Fats and Cholesterol – The Good, The Bad, and The Healthy Diet
“Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.” Most of us have heard this simple recommendation so often over the past two decades that we can recite it in our sleep. Touted as a way to lose weight and prevent cancer and heart disease, it’s no wonder much of the nation – and food producers – hopped on board.

Unfortunately, this simple message is now largely out of date. Detailed research -much of it done at Harvard – shows that the total amount of fat in the diet, whether high or low, isn’t really linked with disease. What really matters is the type of fat in the diet. New results from the large and long Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial showed that eating a low-fat diet for 8 years did not prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer, and didn’t do much for weight loss, either.(1-4)

What is becoming clearer and clearer is that bad fats, meaning saturated and trans fats, increase the risk for certain diseases while good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. The key is to substitute good fats for bad fats.

And cholesterol in food? Although it is still important to limit the amount of cholesterol you eat, especially if you have diabetes, dietary cholesterol isn’t nearly the villain it’s been portrayed to be. Cholesterol in the bloodstream is what’s most important. High blood cholesterol levels greatly increase the risk for heart disease. But the average person makes about 75% of blood cholesterol in his or her liver, while only about 25% is absorbed from food. The biggest influence on blood cholesterol level is the mix of fats in the diet.

The Good Fats

Some fats are good because they can improve blood cholesterol levels.

Unsaturated Fats–Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated

Unsaturated fats are found in products derived from plant sources, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. There are two main categories: polyunsaturated fats (which are found in high concentrations in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils) and monounsaturated fats (which are found in high concentrations in canola, peanut, and olive oils). In studies in which polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats were eaten in place of carbohydrates, these good fats decreased LDL levels and increased HDL levels.

Dietary Fats and Heart Disease: Beyond the “30%” Recommendation

For years, a low-fat diet was hailed as the centerpiece of a heart-healthy lifestyle, even though there was little evidence that this eating strategy prevented heart disease. The American Heart Association and others urged everyone to limit fat intake to 30% or less of daily calories. One problem with a generic low-fat diet is that it throws out fats that are good for the heart with those that are bad for it. Another problem is that many people who switch to a low-fat diet replace fats with pasta, white rice, bread, and other foods chock full of easily digested carbohydrates.

Several reports over the years have questioned the wisdom of recommending a low-fat diet for preventing or retarding heart disease. Perhaps the biggest nail in the coffin came from the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial, published in the February 8, 2006, Journal of the American Medical Association.(3) This eight-year trial, which included almost 49,000 women, found virtually identical rates of heart attacks, strokes, and other forms of cardiovascular disease in women who followed a low-fat diet and women who didn’t.

The relation of fat intake to health is one of the areas that Harvard researchers have examined in detail over the last 20 years in two large studies. The Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study have found no link between the overall percentage of calories from fat and any important health outcome, including cancer, heart disease, and weight gain.

What was important in these studies was the type of fat in the diet.(7) There are clear links between the different types of dietary fats and heart disease. Logically, most of the influence that fat intake has on heart disease is due to its effect on blood cholesterol levels.

Ounce for ounce, trans fats are far worse than saturated fats when it comes to heart disease. The Nurses’ Health Study found that replacing only 30 calories (7 grams) of carbohydrates every day with 30 calories (4 grams) of trans fats nearly doubled the risk for heart disease.(8) Saturated fats increased risk as well, but not nearly as much.

For the good fats, there is consistent evidence that high intake of either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat lowers the risk for heart disease. In the Nurses’ Health Study, replacing 80 calories of carbohydrates with 80 calories of either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats lowered the risk for heart disease by about 30 to 40 percent.(7)

Fish, an important source of the polyunsaturated fat known as omega-3 fatty acid, has received much attention for its potential to lower heart disease risk. There is strong evidence that fish and fish oil consumption reduces the risk of heart disease deaths and so-called “sudden deaths.” A combined analysis of multiple studies suggests that eating just 6 oz per week of fatty (dark meat) fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines, may be enough to reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent.(9) Higher intakes may be beneficial for people who already have heart disease: One large trial found that by getting 1 gram per day of omega-3 fatty acids over a 3.5 year period, people who had survived a heart attack could lower their risk of dying from heart disease by 25 percent.(10) The study participants got their omega-3s from a capsule; getting a gram a day from fish would mean eating two to three 6-oz servings per week of fatty fish.

Eating fish may help prevent heart disease in several ways. It may replace red meat or other less-healthy sources of protein. More importantly, the omega-3 fats in fish appear to protect the heart against the development of erratic and potentially deadly cardiac rhythm disturbances. The American Heart Association currently recommends that people eat at least two servings of fish a week.(11)

Although there has been some recent concern about contamits in fish such as mercury and PCBs, the evidence suggests that the proven health benefit of fish consumption is much greater than the potential for harm among individuals who consume fish one to two times per week.(9) So for most people, the best advice is simply to eat a variety of different seafood twice a week, without worrying about mercury or PCBs. The main exception to this advice is for women who are or might become pregt, nursing mothers, and young children: These groups should include fish in their diets, since omega-3 fats promote normal brain development in children and are important for the health of the mother. But these groups should avoid eating four specific fish species that are higher in mercury – swordfish, tilefish/golden bass, shark, and king mackerel – and should limit albacore tuna to no more than 6 ounces per week. Instead, they should eat two servings per week of a variety of other fish and shellfish, such as salmon, shrimp, chunk light tuna, and scallops. (For more information, see the FDA/EPA dietary advice statement on mercury in fish and shellfish).

If you eat a lot of fish – five or more servings a week – be sure to vary the types of fish you eat and limit consumption of the four species that are higher in mercury (swordfish, tilefish/golden bass, shark, and king mackerel).

What we learned about the nutritional value of our food

In an effort to let our guests and team members know about our food and the ingredients we use, we started to analyze each food group as it is listed on our menu. This is an ongoing effort and we plan on updating this page frequently.

Salads

Since we make all our own salads fresh here at the restaurant, we know that they do not contain any “trans fats.” We use canola oil which ranks highly as a “good fat”.

The Caesar and Ranch dressings are known to contain a small amount of partially hydrogenated oils, we are investigating how to eliminate them.

Vegetables

Should be a very important part of everyone’s diet.

Sauerkraut is fat free. It also is low in calories, with one cup of undrained sauerkraut having only 44 calories, and one cup of sauerkraut juice has only 22. It provides almost one-third of the US RDA for vitamin C, plus other important nutrients including iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. One cup also provides approximately 8 grams of fiber. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, lactobacilli, even more than yoghurt, and other nutrients. Sauerkraut’s Cancer Prevention Properties:

A new study shows sauerkraut may be a breast cancer protector for women.

The study, presented on November 2nd, 2005 at the American Association for Cancer Research’s 4th annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Baltimore, Md., found that women who ate three or more servings a week of sauerkraut — or raw or briefly cooked cabbage — had “significantly reduced breast cancer risk compared to women who had one serving weekly.”

Researcher Dorothy Rybaczyk-Pathak credits the benefits of the anti-oxidant glucosinolate, which is found in cabbage as well as kale, collard and cauliflower. The study was conducted at the University of New Mexico and analyzed the diets of women with Polish backgrounds in the Chicago area.

Many people don’t eat sauerkraut very often, but it’s surprisingly healthy and versatile. It’s low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol. It’s also a good source of calcium and magnesium, and a very good source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, iron, potassium and copper

Medical and health experts recommend eating several servings of cruciferous vegetables each week to reduce the risk of cancer of the colon. Sauerkraut, like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and turnips, is a cruciferous vegetable.

Red Cabbage: Hot on the heels of a report suggesting that sauerkraut may help prevent both breast cancer and the avian flu comes the news that red cabbage could cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by reducing the build up of certain plaques in the brain that could cause the disease. The new study, carried out by scientists from Cornell University and reported in the journal LWT-Food Science and Technology, further supports the contention that the foods you eat are the best way to prevent today’s most common diseases.

In addition to its purported disease-fighting properties, red cabbage is low in calories and provides significant health benefits in that it is fiber and calcium-rich and has twice the vitamin C content of green cabbage. Red cabbage also supplies magnesium and phosphorous to promote healthy blood pressure and has high levels of iron and potassium.

Green Beans are a good source of iron, thiamine, and vitamin A.

Our Seasonal fresh vegetable mix contains leeks, carrots, cauliflower and either Brussels sprouts or fresh snow peas, all highly recommended by nutritionists.

Breads
Our Breads are made fresh by an outside European bread company and do not contain any hydrogenated oils or Trans fat. Please click here for more info on our bread.

Pretzel Dinner Roll

INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour, Water, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Yeast, Malted Barley, Flour, Mono & Diglycerides, Sodium Hydroxide. Made in Germany

Mini Spitzweck

INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour, Water, Rye Flour, Salt, Yeast, Canola Oil, Sugar, Malted Barley Flour, Guar Gum, Fava Bean Flour, Dextrose, Calcium, Diphosphate, Soy Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Enzymes. Contains Soy, Wheat.

Garlic Spitzweck

INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour, Water, Rye Flour, Salt, Minced Garlic, Yeast, Sugar, Dill Weed, Malted Barley Flour, Guar Gum, Fava Bean Flour, Dextrose, Calcium, Diphosphate, Soy Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Enzymes, Contains Soy, Wheat.

Mini Pumpernickel

INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour, Water, Rye Meal, Caramel Color, Sugar, Salt, Yeast, Canola Oil, Wheat Gluten, Caraway, Bread Emulsifier (water, ethoxylated mono- diglycerides,mono- diglycerides,polysorbate 60,soy lecithin,sodium propionate, phosphoric acid), Fava Bean Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Guar Gum, Dextrose, Calcium Diphosphate, Soy Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Enzymes. Contains Soy, Wheat.

Please email bavarian@bavariangrill.com for the nutrition facts of those rolls.

Pastas

Our Pastas are made fresh by an outside local pasta company, Fresh Pasta Delights, and do not contain any hydrogenated oils or Trans fat. They use Canola oil. We are experimenting with some of their Whole Grain Pastas to include them on our menus soon.