No Fat, No Kidding
Diet-conscious Americans will soon have a new weapon in their relentless struggle with fat: a zero-calorie fat substitute called Z-Trim. The powdered fiber could trim as many as 700 calories from a 3,500-calorie diet, says its inventor, George Inglett.
Inglett made Z-Trim by grinding up agricultural byproducts, such as oat and soybean hulls, in an alkaline solution and then separating out plant pigments and other impurities. The resulting ultrafine powder is not only tasteless but totally free of calories. That makes it more attractive to dieters than other fat substitutes. “Most replace fat with carbohydrates,”Inglett says, “which sometimes add back as many calories as what they are replacing.”
Z-Trim can absorb up to 24 times its weight in water, so it keeps foods such as baked goods moist. This property allows a little bit of fat in food to go a long way, whereas a totally fat-free muffin might be so dry as to be unpalatable. Z-Trim has been tested with good results in brownies, cheese, chocolate, and hamburgers. Unlike the fat substitute Olestra, Z-Trim does not induce embarrassing gastrointestinal side effects. Inglett expects it to gain rapid FDA approval, since it is all-natural.
Inglett also developed an earlier fat substitute called Oatrim. Z-Trim and Oatrim can work well together.