Posted Feb 19, 2009
SWITCHING to lower fat milk and grating cheese instead of slicing it could cut your risk of dying from heart disease.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched an awareness campaign which could save up to 3,500 lives across the UK by cutting the nation’s consumption of saturated fat.
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death – in Wales it was responsible for one in three premature deaths in 2006.
The campaign comes after research revealed that people are eating a fifth more saturated fat than the government recommendations.
A diet high in saturated fat can increase cholesterol levels in the blood which raises the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Tim Smith, chief executive of the FSA, said: “What we really want is small changes in everybody’s behaviour.
“It’s important to find ways to cut down, not give up.
“We need to eat leaner meat and a bit less cheese, switch to lower fat milks and eat healthier snacks, cutting down on cakes and biscuits.
“I learned to cut down cheese by grating it or using stronger flavour and I have cut down to 1% milk rather than semi-skimmed.”
Mr Smith said semi-skimmed milk – which is around 1.55% fat – has grown in popularity from only 5% of sales 20 years ago to 60% today but said people could trim their fat intake further by swapping to milk which is 1% fat.
The FSA’s head of nutrition, Rosemary Hignett, said people are getting an average of 13.3% of their energy from saturated fat which should be cut to 11% if the UK is to cut deaths from heart disease.
“If we get it down to 11%, we would halt 3,500 premature deaths every year.”
She said 11% of energy would mean a daily maximum of 20g of saturated fat for women and 30g for men.
The amount of saturated fat in children’s diet should also be limited and children aged two and above can be given semiskimmed or 1% fat milk rather than full-fat, she said.
The campaign is focusing on working-class and lower-middleclass women aged 25 to 60 who are thought to be most likely to change their behaviour.
They are also likely to the be main food shoppers in their household.
Cathy Court, director of the website Netmums, said the campaign “shows there are very simple and cost-effective steps everyone can take, when shopping, preparing and cooking meals”.
The awareness campaign is also aimed at people who are not overweight and may not realise they are raising their risk of heart disease by eating a diet high in saturated fat.
A survey of 3,219 people in October and November last year found one in 10 (11%) still fry their meat and less than a third (29%) take the skin off chicken before cooking to reduce saturated fat.
Michael Livingston, director of the cholesterol charity Heart UK, said: “By focusing on practical swaps and changes that can easily be made, the campaign shows how simple it is to reduce the amount of saturated fat we eat.
“It is important that we all become more aware of the small steps we can take.”
Tips for cutting down on ‘sat fat’
The Food Standards Agency has put together the following tips to cut down on saturated fat:
Choose lower fat versions of dairy foods like milk, yoghurt and cheese;
Grate cheese or choose one with a strong flavour as it means you are likely to use less;
Eat meat which contains less fat, such as fish, chicken, loin or round cuts, back bacon instead of streaky bacon and cut off excess fat;
Take the skin off poultry before cooking it;
Grill rather than fry;
Pastry is high in saturated fat so buy pies with either a lid or a base rather than both;
Choose polyunsaturated or mono-unsaturated spreads instead of dairy-based spreads;
Cook with unsaturated oils like olive, sunflower or rapeseed rather than butter, lard or ghee;
Swap creamy sauces for tomato or vegetable based options;
When you buy chips, biscuits or cakes, check the label and choose the one with the lowest saturated fat content.
Date: Feb 17, 2009
