Food swapping is an easy way to reduce saturated fat consumption

The government has issued guidlines for the maximum amount of saturated fat (sat fat) we should consume in a day - no more than 20g a day for women and 30g for men.

Why issue these guidlines?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the UK's no. 1 killer, responsible for nearly 200,000 deaths a year. Consumption of saturated fats can cause build up of fatty deposits in the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and other heart disease.

Who is at risk?

Almost all of us! More than 80% of adults in the UK over-consume saturated fats, so there is a lot of work to be done.

What can be done?

Obviously we should all reduce our consumption of saturated fats - but it is easy to say, much harder to do. Changing our habits and lifestyles is difficult. That's why it is suggested that we try "swapping" - instead of reaching for the butter, use a low-fat spread.

Butter typically contains over 5g of saturated fat per 10g (around 2 teaspoons, enough for 1-2 slices of toast). So just 6 helpings of buttered bread in a day will take you over the recommended limit!

Low fat spreads made from seed or vegetable oil, or margarines typically have around 1g per 10g - a huge reduction.

So rather that dieting or changing your eating habits completely, simply swapping butter with low fat spreads could greatly reduce your daily saturated fat intake.

Sat Fat reduction tips from the FSA

• Choosing a fat spread with lower total fat per 100g generally means that the saturated fat content per 100g will be lower.
• Go for polyunsaturated or mono-unsaturated spreads where possible and not dairy based spreads.
• Use unsaturated oils such as olive, sunflower or rapeseed oils instead of butter, lard and ghee in cooking.
• Make mashed potato with low fat spread and semi-skimmed milk.
• Swap butter for vegetable oil based spreads.

More information

For suggestions on how to reduce saturated fat consumption, visit www.satfatnav.com

This article was published on Mon 23 February 2009