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Embargo: 00.01am, Wednesday, 9 December, 2009
Healthy Food A Casualty of Tight Food Budgets
Australians Urged To Rethink Health Value Of What They Eat
For less than 50c a day Flora pro-activ can reduce your cholesterol absorption
by up to 15% when also moving to a healthy diet
Tough times have seen shoppers seeking cheaper meal options but they may be forgetting about
their cholesterol and heart health in their efforts to save a few dollars. While some heart-healthy foods
may cost a little more, they give proven health benefits and therefore offer good value. For example,
for less than 50 cents a day Flora pro-activ can reduce your cholesterol absorption by up to 15%
when also moving to a healthy diet.
While unhealthy food might save a few cents now, this is false economy when you consider the cost
of poor heart health in the future. The Heart Foundation says poor diet and high cholesterol are major
preventable risk factors
i
.Fifty percent of Australian adults have cholesterol over 5.5
ii
and this statistic
has not improved in 20 years
iii
.
A re-think of the foods we buy in terms of heart health benefits is required as trends suggest we are
actually buying more unhealthy food. Fast food restaurants selling burgers, fries, pizza and fried
chicken are experiencing growth
iv
.
Even the trend towards home cooking seems to be forgetting about
heart heath. Saturated-fat rich butter and cream were among the fastest growing categories in 2008,
while cheese, biscuits, snack foods and cakes were also among categories in growth
v
. All these foods
are likely to increase cholesterol when eaten in excess.
Dr Andrew Binns, President of the Australian Lifestyle Medicine Association (ALMA) says, “The right
diet is absolutely vital for people affected by cholesterol. Foods high in saturated fat and trans-fat are
bad for cholesterol, while plant sterol-enriched foods are very helpful.”
Healthy foods must take priority in the grocery basket for long term health and wellbeing. Even if they
cost a little more, foods with proven health benefits are worth it.
-- ENDS –
Media Release
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Issued by Publicis Life Brands on behalf of Unilever Australasia.
Background information
i
Heart Foundation(Australia). Cardiovascular disease statistics. Available from URL
ii
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). High blood cholesterol. Available at URL
iii
Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) 2004. Heart, stroke and vascular diseases – Australian facts 2004. Available
iv
The two largest players – McDonalds and Yum! Restaurants have reported sales growth in 2009. Australian Food News.
McDonald’s sales growth slows, Australia still strong. Available at URL
owner sees profits soar. Accessed 9 Oct 2009
v
Nielsen Australia. The Grocery Report 2008. Available at URL
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