Britain’s saturated fat binge culture at weekend
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.
According to independent research*,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.
Raising cholesterol
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 according to a consumption panel produced for Unilever by TNS Worldpanel Usage May 2008.
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.’
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.
Relax at weekends
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.’
*Consumption panel produced for Unilever by TNS Worldpanel Usage May 2008. Independent research based onFood Standards Agency (2002) and McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, Sixth summary edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. Information also taken from foodmanufacturers’ websites.
