A heart surgeon this week called for butter to be banned to help cut deaths from heart disease. London-based cardiologist Shyam Kolvekar's motive may be spot on, but this simplistic approach misses the point.
It's true that we eat too much saturated fat, high levels of which are found in butter. It's also true that too much saturated fat contributes significantly to the 200,000 premature UK deaths each year from cardiovascular disease.
Men should eat no more than 30g and women no more than 20g of saturated fat a day, yet government research shows we're eating on average nearly 20% too much. This fat, derived mainly from animal sources, increases cholesterol, clogging up arteries and putting us at risk of heart disease and strokes.
The real enemy
However, singling out butter isn't the answer. A couple of decades ago dairy foods were our main source of
saturated fat but now there are lots more processed and fast foods around, many of which are also high in this type of fat. Banning one food won't address the problem, just as a sliver of butter won't kill an otherwise healthy person on a generally healthy diet.
However, singling out butter isn't the answer. A couple of decades ago dairy foods were our main source of
saturated fat but now there are lots more processed and fast foods around, many of which are also high in this type of fat. Banning one food won't address the problem, just as a sliver of butter won't kill an otherwise healthy person on a generally healthy diet.
Last year research by the Food Standards Agency revealed that one in five of us can't identify foods high in saturated fat. So if you want to cut down, here's my guide:
● Read food labels - If it contains more than 5g saturates per 100g, it's high in saturated fat so limit it.
● Look for low-fat dairy - Swapping a small glass of whole milk for skimmed will save you 5g of saturated fat and 70 calories.
● Pass on meat pies - or at least limit them. Not only do they often contain fatty meat (think sausage rolls and pork pies), the pastry is usually high in saturated fat too.
● Take the lean option - Choose lean cuts of meat, trim visible fat and remove skin from chicken.
● Eat less meat - Limit red meat to no more than once a week.
● Cook healthily - Grill, bake, steam or boil food rather than fry.
● Turn down regular takeaways - many are high in fat. Chip-shop chips are deep-fried so they're much higher in saturated fat than oven-baked versions.
● Dressings - In restaurants, ask for sauces and dressings on the side so you can control how much you eat and
go for tomato-based rather than cream-based sauces.
go for tomato-based rather than cream-based sauces.
● Know your fats - Oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel contain omega-3 fats, which combat the build-up of damaging cholesterol in the arteries.
Other heart-friendly fats are monounsaturated (found in olive oil, avocado and some margarines) and polyunsaturated (in sunflower oil, white fish, nuts and some margarines).
It's worth noting that, due to a change in the manufacturing process, margarines no longer contain high levels of transfats, which are more damaging than saturated fats. Also, in the UK, our trans fat intake is well within recommended limits. Saturated fat poses a much bigger risk, simply because we eat so much of it.
Source: Daily Mirror
Source: Daily Mirror
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