CHAPTER 2: GET YOUR FATS RIGHT! THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ‘GOOD’ AND ‘BAD’ FAT

DISPELLING FAT MYTHS!

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• Weight gain comes from surplus calories where you are consuming more calories than you’re expending.
• The amount of calories delivered in an average portion of 59% vegetable fat spread like FLORA Original is not as large as you might expect (less than 5% of the recommended daily calorie intake of an average adult 20g or 4 teaspoons of FLORA Original spread provides 104 calories).
• Of course it can be effective to control calorie intake by cutting fat. It’s better for your overall health, especially your heart health, if you cut the 'bad' fat that doesn’t deliver essential nutrients (e.g. fat in cookies, crisps, full-fat dairy products)
  and use 'good' fats instead.
• Also try and do more physical activity which will help burn excess calories.
  Current recommendations on physical activity are 30 minutes on most days.

NOT ALL FATS ARE BAD...

DID YOU KNOW… Using a full fat spread could be healthier than using no spread at all! It may be a surprising fact, but not all fat is bad for your health. There are many different types of fat, some of which add vital taste and flavour to food, and some that have real nutritional benefits.

WE NEED FAT BECAUSE..

Fats are a source of energy and provide essential building blocks for the cells in your body - certain types of fat can actually help keep your heart healthy. So what's important isn't just the amount of fat, but the type of fat you eat. Fat supplies essential polyunsaturated fats as well as fat soluble vitamins.

Helping you understand the different types of fat

Saturated fats and trans fats are 'bad' as they can raise levels of cholesterol. Unsaturated (good) fats are better for helping to keep your heart healthy. They are divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Did you know???

“Over 80% of the population eat 30% more saturated fat than recommended“

Around six out of seven adults (88% men and 83% women) consume more than the recommended levels of saturated fat (Office of National Statistics (2003) The National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19 to 64 years. Volumes 1-4. The Stationery Office: London.)

Saturated fats can raise blood cholesterol levels, and occur naturally in full fat diary products like butter and whole milk, as well as in fatty meat and meat products. Manufactured foods such as biscuits, cakes, savoury snacks and confectionery can also contain saturated fats.

Your daily intake of saturated fats should be no more than 30% of your total fat intake.

Butter contains 3% trans fat -

A recent independent report by the Food Standards Agency* felt that there is inconsistent labelling of spreads with some declaring the levels of each of the four main types of fats (saturates, monounsaturates, polyunsaturates and trans) whilst others do not, or decline to mention the trans content, leaving the consumer to try and work out what the levels are.

'…there is even less nutritional information on a pack of butter with often only total fat and saturates being declared and no mention of the fact that it also contains trans fatty acids.'

* Independent advice on possible reductions for saturated fat in products that contribute to
consumer intakes Summary Report Prepared for Food Standards Agency by Geoff Talbot November 2006.

What is so bad about trans fats?

Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol) and decrease HDL cholesterol levels (good cholesterol).

... so, they are worse for your heart health than saturated fat!

Where are they found?

They are formed in two ways:

• Naturally formed in the stomach of cattle and sheep and found in some dairy products, including butter and some meats.
• Also formed by partial hydrogenation (process of turning liquid oil into solid fat) and found in some commercially prepared foods such as snacks, biscuits, fried foods and some high fat hard cooking margarines.

All trans fats have the same effect on health regardless of their source.

Fat factoids

FLORA contains less 'bad' fats than butter.

• A serving of butter contains more than twice the fat of FLORA Light Spread and more than a third more fat than in FLORA Original Spread.
• A serving of butter contains more than five times the amount of saturated fat of FLORA Light Spread and more than four times the amount of saturated fat than in FLORA Original Spread.

KEEP YOUR HEART HEALTHY

While maintaining a varied, balanced diet and an active lifestyle, swapping foods with a high in saturated fat content like butter, for foods that contain less saturates and more polyunsaturated fats such as FLORA spreads with omega 3 & 6, can help keep your heart healthy.

GOOD FATS: POLY-UNSATURATED FATS

As part of a healthy diet, polyunsaturated fats can help to lower cholesterol.
Some polyunsaturated fats are 'essential' as they cannot be made by the body, and therefore must be provided in the diet.
FLORA spreads provide essential Omega 3 and 6 oils to help you get the fatty acids necessary for cardiovascular health.

Omega 3 & 6

Omega 3 and Omega 6 are two types of polyunsaturates.
Omega 3 fats have been shown to help keep our hearts healthy, while Omega 6 fats play an important role in helping to control our blood cholesterol levels.

Where are they found?

There are two types of Omega 3 fats, found in:

plant sources (alpha-linolenic acid)

• rapeseed oil, soya bean oil, linseeds and linseed oil, walnuts and green vegetables

marine sources (EPA and DHA)

• oily fish eg trout, mackerel, salmon, sardines, herrings, fresh tuna

FLORA Original and FLORA Light spreads are rich in and can provide Omega 3 fatty acids from vegetable sources on a daily basis.

Omega 6: This second essential type of fatty acid is found in seed oils such as sunflower oil and products made with these oils, such as FLORA spreads.

MONO-UNSATURATED FATS

Cholesterol may be lowered if monounsaturated fats are used to replace saturated fat in the diet. They are also part of a traditional Mediterranean diet, which is considered 'heart healthy'

Sources in the Diet: Olive Oil, avocados and nuts.

CHOLESTEROL

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a white waxy substance that is produced by the body. It plays a key role in the workings of every cell wall and is also used to make vital chemicals such as vitamin D and some hormones.

Cholesterol only becomes a problem when the level in your blood is too much - if you have more cholesterol than your body needs it can cause the build up of fatty deposits in your arteries and subsequently become a problem for your heart health.

Good and Bad Cholesterol

You may have heard of the terms 'bad' and 'good' cholesterol. This has come about from the way cholesterol is carried around in the body in special transport packages called LDL and HDL:

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), takes cholesterol from the liver to the body tissues. If there is a high level of bad (LDL) cholesterol in the blood it can build up in the walls of the blood vessels and cause them to narrow

High-density lipoprotein (HDL), takes cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver to be eliminated and a high level of good (HDL) Cholesterol is thought to be heart healthy

To keep your heart healthy it is important to keep your bad (LDL) Cholesterol low and your good (HDL) Cholesterol high. One of the ways you can help do this is by replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat.

How is cholesterol measured?

Cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, usually shortened to mmol/litre or mmol/l.

What level should my cholesterol be?

According to new guidelines published in December 2005 by the Joint British Societies, your target is to have a total cholesterol level under 4 mmol/l and bad (LDL) Cholesterol of less than 2 mmol/l to keep your heart healthy.*

What causes high cholesterol levels?

There are many factors which may cause your cholesterol level to be above the target level, however the most common cause is eating too much fat and in particular too much saturated fat. High intakes of saturated fat can raise bad (LDL) Cholesterol levels.

Other factors, such as a family history of high cholesterol, getting older, physical inactivity, excessive weight, an underactive thyroid gland, diabetes or kidney problems can all have unfavourable effects on your blood cholesterol levels.

What should I do if I have concerns about my cholesterol?

If you have any concerns about your cholesterol or any aspect of your heart health you should consult your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist.

If you want to try to cut down on fat, or you just want to watch how much fat you are eating, you can compare the labels of different food products and choose those with less total fat and less saturated fat.

You will see figures for the fat content on many food labels and some foods will also give figures for saturated fat.

If the amount of total fat is between 3g and 20g per 100g, this is a moderate amount of total fat. Between 1g and 5g of saturates is a moderate amount of saturated fat.

* Joint British Societies’ Guidelines on Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Clinical Practice prepared by the British Cardiac Society, British Hypertension Society, Diabetes UK, HEART UK, Primary Care Cardiovascular Society and the Stroke Association.

GUIDELINE DAILY AMOUNTS (GDAs)

Thanks to new 'Guideline Daily Amount' labelling, it’s now even easier to see how choosing the right FLORA products could help you achieve a healthier diet. Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are guidelines for men, women and children about the approximate amount of calories, sugars, fat, saturated fat and salt required for a healthy diet.

Average adult GDA values are based on female values. Because people vary in many ways such as size and activity levels, GDAs cannot be used as targets for individuals. They simply provide a benchmark which enables you to see how the foods you eat contribute to your nutritional intake.

The GDA labels are clearly marked on our packs and can be used to help you in making the choices that are most relevant for your dietary needs.

How GDA labelling benefits you

Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labelling makes it easy to see at a glance the key information about the product you are looking at.

Each 10g serving (enough for 1-2 slices of bread) contains:

If you are controlling your fat intake, it is now easier to compare products.
A 10g serving of FLORA Light contains 2% of an average adult's GDA compared to a 10g serving of butter which would give you 4%.

Visit www.whatsinsideguide.com for more information.

FLORA Heart training materials are for information purposes only. Individual requirements vary depending on age, sex, weight and level of physical activity. If you have any concerns about your heart health or diet please consult your doctor.