Why We Eat (Too Much): The New Science of Appetite

by Andrew Jenkinson

Processed foods, the food made in factories (and not farms), need to have a long shelf life. But, remember, any type of food that has a reasonable shelf life will have had most of its omega-3 removed. Fresh foods contain omega-3, that’s why they go off rapidly when left out of the fridge. The same rule applies to vegetable oils (but not olive oil): they need to be rid of their omega-3, otherwise they become rancid quite quickly. Therefore they are chemically and heat treated to eliminate it. As mentioned previously, the hydrogenation process to remove the oxidizing potential of unsaturated fats causes the production of cardio-toxic trans-fats – all in the interest of making the food taste fresher for longer, and ultimately with the aim of making the food company a larger profit.

Since omega 3 is more flexible and oxidized more quickly