‘Sat Fat’ bingeing at weekends is sending the UK spiralling into health problems new research on saturated fat consumption reveals.
A study of 11,000 people in the UK demonstrates the public has little idea that their ‘weekend treat’ eating habits lead to a massive intake of saturated fat (Sat Fat) which can pose a serious health risk. A simple weekend fry-up with buttered toast and a cappuccino contains 33.7g of Sat Fat, breaking through the daily guidelines (30g for men; 20g for women) in just one traditional Saturday meal.
The research shows that Sat Fat consumption can increase to a staggering 61g for men and 33g for women on weekend days when people tend to indulge themselves.
High Sat Fat consumption raises blood cholesterol, particularly ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol which is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), the UK’s No.1 killer, which accounts for 208,000 deaths and costs the economy £7.9 billion a year.
Leading dietitian, Sian Porter, says: ‘The results suggest a serious lack of awareness among the public about how much ‘Sat Fats’ they consume on a daily basis and a lack of knowledge concerning the need to reduce their overall consumption. The statistics are, at best, conservative, so the real picture of the Sat Fataday binge weekend could be dramatically worse.’
The research illustrates that an average 40-year-old man consumes a health-damaging 61g Sat Fat on a weekend day from a menu including buttered toast (11.6g Sat Fat), cheese sandwich (11g Sat Fat), sausage roll (11g Sat Fat), pizza (18g Sat Fat) and chips (15g Sat Fat), chocolate (9.8g Sat Fat), crisps (2.6g Sat Fat),and full fat milky coffee (2.6 g Sat Fat).
An average 40-year-old woman consumes over 30g of sat fat on a weekend day - 50% more than guidelines advise - on food such as: a croissant (11.7g Sat Fat), buttered jam and toast (11.6g Sat Fat), beans on buttered toast (11.6g Sat Fat), pizza (18g Sat Fat), chips (15g Sat Fat), ice cream (5.7g Sat Fat) and cake (9.8g Sat Fat).
Weekend favourites such as pepperoni pizza can contain a hefty 18g of saturated fat, and a single sausage roll has 11g Sat Fat. Just two small foil pats of butter (20g) on toast in the morning amounts to a huge 10.8g Sat Fat, whilst 30g of cheese contains 7g Sat Fat. Processed foods such as confectionery, pastries, ready meals and full fat dairy products all feature high on the list of Sat Fat culprits.
Unilever, who commissioned the research with TNS to determine where the nation is eating too much saturated fat in their diets, has launched a new website www.satfatnav.com in response to the findings. The site has been designed to help educate Brits on the health issues surrounding sat fats. It contains a wealth of hints and tips to illustrate how simple food swaps and adaptations can make popular and favourite foods healthier and bring sat fat intake to within guidelines.
Sian Porter says, ‘These results further reinforce the need, which has been recognised by the government, to educate consumers on saturated fats and the importance of eating a diet lower in saturated fats. Many people try to eat healthily during the week but have a tendency to relax at weekends nutritionally, throwing caution to the wind as ‘Sat Fataday’ shows. Indulgence can be a positive thing but, for our health, we should know when to stop.’
‘Even something as simple swapping foods like butter, which is high in saturated fat with small amounts of a healthy margarine made from seed or vegetable oils, which is significantly lower in saturated fat, can easily reduce an individual’s saturated fat consumption at the weekend, as does grilling your cooked breakfast instead of frying it, trimming the fat from bacon or having a tea cake instead of a Danish pastry.’