Cut down on 'bad' fat in milk!
Thursday 12 February 2009
Now don’t get us wrong – fat is an essential part of the diet, but lots of people eat more than they need and/or is good for them.
In particular, saturated fats are dangerous because they raise ‘bad’ cholesterol and can block up the arteries to the heart. Having too much harmful cholesterol in the blood increases the risk of coronary heart disease – the biggest killer in the UK.
However, switching to lower fat milk and grating cheese instead of slicing it could cut your risk of heart disease, the Food Standards Agency has said.
A new awareness campaign suggests tips which could save an estimated 3,500 lives by cutting the nation’s consumption of saturated fat. Adults are eating an average of 800g of saturated fat a month – an unhealthy fifth more than the recommended maximum.
In light of which, the Food Standards Agency is urging parents that children should be stopped from drinking full-fat milk from the age of two to prevent clogged arteries and heart disease in later life! Nothing like been fully prepared is there?!
When looking at the nutritional stats in black and white, the campaign makes sense – While normal whole dairy milk is 3.5 percent saturated fat, semi-skimmed (which accounts for 60 percent of all sales) has 1.5 per cent, while many stores now offer a 1 percent fat milk. Skimmed milk has only trace levels.
The Food Standards Agency nutrition chief Dr Rosemary Hignett said: “For small children, up to the age of two, it is particularly important to have a sufficient level of fat in the diet. But as we move to older age groups, our concerns turn to them not becoming obese and not starting to build up clogged arteries.”
Advice to cut down on full-fat milk also extends to cheese and butter!
Agency chief exec Tim Smith said: “Cheese is one of the biggest contributors to our saturated fat intake…since that leads directly to the heart problems, it is pretty important we find ways to cut down.”
By Tasha Usefnia