The Board of Health took a big stand Tuesday, voting to make New York the first city in the nation to ban artificial trans fats in restaurant food.

Restaurants will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July 1, and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of its foods by July 1, 2008.

The ban contains some exceptions; for instance, it would allow restaurants to serve foods that come in the manufacturer's original packaging.

I know many restaurants consider the rules a hardship, but I am all for the ban. Trans fats are thought to contribute to heart disease. And they are used in cooking all kinds of foods, from pastries to pizza to french fries, so they can be hard to avoid.

And while I don't exactly want Big Brother telling me what to eat, I do appreciate the effort to help prevent heart problems and hopefully, save us some health-care dollars.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com