Healthcare

While we are increasingly aware of the dangers of eating too much saturated fat, according to a new report over eight in ten Brits are still putting their health at risk by exceeding the Food Standards Agency's Recommended Daily Allowance of 20g per day for women (30g per day for men).

Eating too much saturated fat increases blood cholesterol levels and thus the risk of heart disease. However research by independent dietary advisory body The Fat Panel reveals that one in ten Brits are still getting more than 18% of their daily calories from this dietary 'baddie' compared with the recommended target of 11%.

According to the Cabinet Office, if everyone reduced their intake to the Government's recommended levels a staggering 3,500 lives could be saved each year across the UK. Starting this week, if we all took a few simple steps to cut our saturated fat intake, the health benefits could make huge differences to our lives.

We all know the typical foods that contain high levels of saturated fat – such as fatty cuts of meat, butter, cheese, whole milk and pastries. However even foods we tend to think of as non-fatty can also contain saturated fat – there can be a lot of it in yoghurt and in and under chicken skin, for example. Whether it be eating low-fat dairy products, grating cheese instead of slicing it, or reading food labels correctly – there are simple steps we can all take to reduce saturated fat levels in both our own and our family's daily diet.

Watch The Fat Panel's video of ten easy but potentially life-saving tips and for more information visit www.thefatpanel.org.uk