LONDON, May 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A new primetime TV programme starting tomorrow aims to encourage parents to take action to improve their families' health. `Family Food Fight with Flora', airing for six weeks from Tuesday 18th May at 7.30pm on Five, sees celebrity chefs Jean-Christophe Novelli and Matt Tebbutt go head-to-head each episode to train two families to make healthy recipes, and change their bad eating habits.
Following worrying new research showing that more than half (58%) [i] of families in the UK have no idea how much saturated fat they consume daily, or even what the Guideline Daily Allowance (GDA) for it is, the time for changing the way families cook is evident.
The report into the nation's heart health, commissioned by Flora Heart Age, highlights a lack of awareness of the difference between good and bad fats - unsaturated and saturated, however a promising three-quarters (71%) of UK parents want to understand more.
Saturated fats are particularly prevalent in processed foods, takeaways and ready meals. With nearly two-thirds (59%) of UK families consuming as many as three takeaways a week, the country's heart health is in need of help. Parents surveyed admitted time (42%) and money (19%) were the two biggest factors for not making fresh, homecooked meals more often.
In order for families at home to be able to create healthy, homecooked meals for their families, Jean-Christophe and Matt have created a series of recipes to show that heart healthy food can deliver on taste as well as nutrition. The recipes contain Flora instead of butter - small changes like this can make a big difference; for example, swapping just 20g of butter for Flora when cooking can save the same amount of saturated fat that is in five rashers of bacon (10.8g)[ii], and can be a great step towards keeping hearts healthy.
Additionally, Flora has launched a special Heart Age Calculator[iii] at http://www.floraheartage.com to help families to find out what shape their heart is in. Better still, by making small lifestyle changes, everyone can easily help lower their Heart Age. Over half a million people in the UK have used the calculator to date, with their average Heart Age being 3.78 years higher than their chronological age.[iv]
Flora Brand Manager Alastair McKerrow says, Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Europe, and ageing healthily depends on looking after your heart, but our research shows many people are currently neglecting this vital organ.
We've developed the `Heart Age Calculator' to remind and encourage people to find out what shape their heart is in. We're on a mission to get as many people as possible to take the test!
Jean-Christophe Novelli explains why he's supporting the Flora campaign: Most people know they need to eat more healthily, but don't have time to re-invent their favourite recipes. The recipes we've created for the TV show are easy to do and designed to be healthier, without compromising on flavour. We hope they take the headache out of mealtimes and give mums peace of mind that they're helping to look after their families' hearts.
For more information on the Flora `Heart Age' campaign, to download healthy recipes and join the dedicated Facebook page, visit http://www.floraheartage.com
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[i] Online interviews carried out by Redshift research with a randomly selected, nationally representative, sample of male and female UK adult panellists with children between the ages of 4 and 18 from the Crowdology Research Community. 1000 interviews were conducted between 22nd April and 26th April 2010
[ii] vi Values based on McCance and Widdowson's the Composition of Foods: Summary Edition (6th Edition) and average market portion sizes, April 2010
[iii] 'Heart Age' is based on a well-established tool called Framingham risk score which provides a validated way of determining a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the next ten years. Heart Age is calculated using information about factors that are influencing people's heart health such as age, gender, blood pressure, total and HDL (good) cholesterol, smoking and diabetic status.
The Flora 'Heart Age Calculator' does not provide diagnostic information, does not evaluate an individual's medical condition and does not provide medical advice. Always consult your Doctor for medical information and advice.
[iv] Figures correct to end of March 2010.
SOURCE: Flora Heart Age
CONTACT: Notes to Editors: For more information, images or to arrangeinterviews with Jean-Christophe Novelli or Matt Tebbutt, please contact:Tel: Flora Press Office: +44(0)207-908-6577, Email:florapressoffice@lexispr.com
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