NHS healthy food guidelines - confusion

[beatrixpotterspencil]

And it isn't just the NHS, there are countless health bodies throughout the western world who still believe we ought to choose trans fatty oils in margarine over butter.
As far as I am aware, margarine has long since been considered a franken-food, yet the NHS is still advising diabetics and those with cardiovascular disease to swap butter for marg, meat for white bread and full fat yogurt for the reduced fat, sugar filled monstrosities.

I am 48, very slim and eat butter, virgin olive oil, meat (usually poultry or fish), full fat yogurt, avocado, cheese, cream, greek yogurt, olives, stuff that is going to kill me apparently since reading about saturated fats on the NHS last night.

I thought the saturated fat = bad cholesterol had been debunked, but according to most health bodies, recent research still posits it as a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It seemed odd to choose to choose a low fat, processed alternative to an already 'healthy' food? (yogurt). So my natural Greek stuff is inferior to a sugar stuffed muller light?

I'm one of those spectacular wankers who makes their own pesto
I must definitely be unreasonable!
So I am well and truly one foot in the grave according to the health service.
When looking for their suggested alternatives to sat fats, most of the recommendations were for white, sugary breads and cereals. It is apparently better for me to chuck down a ton of rice crispies than some microwaved scrambled egg with a splash of milk.

Is this confusing anyone else? My family tended to eat similarly to me and were always healthy/slim. Perhaps it is just genetic luck and we have been juggling with an early death

I don't read a lot about nutrition, but do love cooking and following tasty recipes, so was surprised to read this. Over the years, and especially on MN I have picked up some great ideas and wasn't aware that people were still pushing hydrogenated oils as healthy.
And if they are not, why the heck are so many health bodies promoting it?
Even my own GP said my diet was excellent. I am confused!

Sounds to me like you might be misrepresenting the advice somewhat!

explain? I said i was confused.

Yanbu, the NHS nutrition wheel is absolute bollocks.

I eat like you op and I’ve always been slim. I’m in my 60’s now and weight 9 stone at 5ft 6inches.
My friend is constantly trying to lose weight and goes to slimming world where they recommend all this low fat rubbish.
Apparently she knows all about healthy food so I often wonder why she’s the one trying to lose weigh

This from NHS regarding reducing fats - it does suggest some obviously healthy stuff but also swapping most natural fat stuff to 'reduced fat' alternatives (so marg, spreads, low fat yog). I've seen the ingredients in some of that stuff and they are ....interesting to say the least.

It’s mostly awful advice.

Meat, veg, fruit, full fat dairy, butter, fish, eggs are great for you.

No need for low fat, fake sugars, highly processed “healthy” foods. And margarine is just terrible.

Yes, take the fat out and you have to put all sorts of crap back in.

I feed my children (and me) full fat greek yogurt - no crap in that. But I’ve got friends who are honestly horrified I eat it when they come to stay and try to get me to eat low fat things as it’s ‘better for me’.

Here are the ingredients in a supermarket 30% less fat margerine:

Water, Rapeseed Oil, Palm Oil, Salt (1%), Stabiliser (Sodium Alginate), Reconstituted Buttermilk (Milk) (1%), Emulsifiers (Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate, Sunflower Lecithins), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Vitamin E, Flavouring, Colour (Beta Carotene)

And here, for the full fat butter:

100% British Milk

Where are you looking op?

I don't even like margarine. Butter all the way.

Rapeseed oil isn't good for you anyway.

@beatrixpotterspencil

Here are the ingredients in a supermarket 30% less fat margerine:

Water, Rapeseed Oil, Palm Oil, Salt (1%), Stabiliser (Sodium Alginate), Reconstituted Buttermilk (Milk) (1%), Emulsifiers (Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate, Sunflower Lecithins), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Vitamin E, Flavouring, Colour (Beta Carotene)

And here, for the full fat butter:

100% British Milk

Ah yes, the colouring in marg.

Have you ever seen it before the yellow colouring goes in? Vile stuff!

I was at the doctor's surgery today, and in the waiting room they played a video about the NHS current food advice. I was as it's so out of date.

You are not wrong to be confused @beatrixpotterspencil!

I often look at the ingredients in the low cal alternatives and they never sound great. I also worry about the sweetners over sugar.

Moderation is key. I've recently lost some weight all with calorie counting not switching to low cal. I've done slimming World in the past and this time I've felt much better and more in control of my weight.

@InDubiousBattle

Where are you looking op?

NHS, British Heart foundation, WHO, American heart foundation, Centre for disease control, British nutrition foundation, all agree natural fats especially saturated (like butter) are worse than margarine.

@BIWI

I was at the doctor's surgery today, and in the waiting room they played a video about the NHS current food advice. I was as it's so out of date.

You are not wrong to be confused @beatrixpotterspencil!

Well I don't know about 'out of date', it seems like wilful ignorance at this point.

Most of the sources I have read present studies as recent as 2021 that correlate saturated fats with heart disease, strokes and diabetes. If they are merely out of date, how to explain recent studies?
Lies?

Where is the truth? It is so confusing. Surely they wouldn't lie? I would love to know if i am killing myself!

Ah, you've got to make your own health decisions.

The mainstay of commonly accepted foods that are healthy remains broadly the same. If you eat plenty of fruit/veg the NHS would be happy. How much fat? Well, I don't count it but neither do I slaver everything in it. I use natural fats. Saturated ones are good to cook with as they don't break down at high heats, oils are good for pouring. Occasionally use rapeseed oil to cook with as it's convenient and pretty stable. Meat, I eat white meat and red meat but not in ridiculous amounts since I eat a lot of veg I don't need to. Cheese and dairy, good to eat - vitamin d is far soluble as I remember but again I don't eat ridiculous amounts.

No one baulks at what I eat. I don't buy half fat anything not even semi skimmed milk. I put double cream in my coffee. I eat a lot of salad too. But I am thin (wasn't always), BMI just under 19. I run 10k a day so people don't question it. I've never had a cholesterol test and don't plan to but my DH has. What raised it once was when he decided to taste test every brand of mince pie imaginable in about a week!

Funny thing is someone I worked with once came away with a diet sheet from her doctor. It was sponsored by Flora Margerine!!!

Fat soluble.

Read the SACN report on saturated fat - published 2019. The advice is not to replace SFAs with carbs, but try to use PUFAs and MUFAs instead. This is the latest guideline issued and has reviewed a lot of evidence.

@Moomoomonkey

Read the SACN report on saturated fat - published 2019. The advice is not to replace SFAs with carbs, but try to use PUFAs and MUFAs instead. This is the latest guideline issued and has reviewed a lot of evidence.

That sounds more acceptable, will seek out the report, thanks.

I know correlation isn't causation, so am interested how definitive the studies against saturated fats are. It's a minefield out there!

With a family member recently diagnosed with diabetes I’ve been shocked by the archaic nutritional advice they’ve received from the NHS. I’d say their diet has probably got worse! It’s shameful when you think this could be leading people to worse health at best.

So is there any evidence that sponsorship or something similar is at the root of it all?
Someone above mentions Flora marg sponsoring her diet sheet from doctor.

I know this often occurs with pharmaceuticals, would love to know how much corporate/profit lies behind this.

I eat like you OP and am slim. I eat butter, full fat mayo, full fat Greek yoghurt, cheese, eggs etc. And I only eat little portions. This is all part of my "what would the French do?" mantra.
However, I wonder if it gets trickier to see the wood for the trees if you struggle to eat moderate portion sizes, and then the artificial low fat stuff might be your better option?

@EdithStourton

Rapeseed oil isn't good for you anyway.

I thought vegetable and sunflower oils were the 'bad ones' and rapeseed and olive oils were 'good'?

Ultimately the NHS food guidance is calories in calories out, and butter for margarine as a substitute is an easy way of reducing calories.

@beatrixpotterspencil quite by coincidence, someone posted this on my FB timeline today