Media release
CANADA’S FOOD GUIDE FOR FIRST TIME RECOMMENDS CONSUMPTION OF "HEALTHY" FATS
It’s Easy to Put Healthy Fats on Your Menu by visiting www.healthyfats.ca
February 5, 2007, (Toronto, ON) — It’s time to stop cringing when you hear the word "fat". The newest version of Canada’s Food Guide, "Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide", released today, for the first time acknowledges the important role of "healthy" fats in the diet and encourages Canadians to consume these fats each day. The new recommendation is a positive and significant improvement from the previous food guide, which grouped all fats – even the healthy ones – with candy, cookies and junk food, advising consumers to choose foods prepared with little or no fat.
Canadians can learn about how to incorporate healthy fats into their everyday diet by visiting www.healthyfats.ca, a new website that will provide valuable dietary information about healthy fats.
"It’s exciting to see that the new guide now reflects global expert opinion that consuming healthy fats, including mono and polyunsaturated fats, in moderation, is good for you," says Sharon MacLeod, Marketing Director, Spreads and Dressings, Unilever Canada. "This is an important health message for all Canadians, especially those at risk for heart disease. Good fats are an important part of a healthy lifestyle."
Mono and polyunsaturated fats can help lower "bad" blood cholesterol and are essential for optimal health and functioning. Conversely, saturated and trans fats can raise "bad" blood cholesterol and are well-known contributors to coronary heart disease.
Although the importance of eating healthy fats has long been identified, many Canadians remain confused about dietary fats. Research shows that less than half (36%) of Canadians can identify which fats are actually good for you, according to a global study on the awareness and perception of fats.1
It’s Easy to Put Healthy Fats on Your Menu with Becel®, Bertolli® and Hellmann’s®
Eating Well With Canada’s Food Guide, recommends that Canadians aim to eat 30-45 mL or 2-3 tablespoons of unsaturated fat each day to get the fats they need. This amount includes oil used for cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise. Canadians can easily get their daily amount of the "healthy" fats, by choosing Becel®, Bertolli®, and Hellmann’s® products.
- Becel® Margarine is low in saturated fat and trans fat free. Made from vegetable oils, Becel® has 4 grams of monounsaturated and 2.5 grams polyunsaturated fat per 2 teaspoon serving (10 g). Becel® margarine is also a source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fat.
- Bertolli® Olive Oil is made from high quality olive oils, and has monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.
- Hellmann’s® Mayonnaise is low in saturated fat and trans fat free. Made from canola oil, Hellmann’s® is a good source of polyunsaturated omega-3 fats.
Here are some helpful tips for incorporating these healthy fat products into your diet:
- Replace butter with non-hydrogenated Becel® margarine; that way you bake and cook with 80 per cent less saturated fat and no trans fat.
- Use 2 tsp of Bertolli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make salad dressing which contains 6 grams of monounsaturated fat and 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat per 10mL (2 tsp) serving.
- Add 1 tsp of Hellmann’s® mayonnaise to your favourite sandwich. Hellmann’s® is low in saturated fat and no trans fat.
- To moisten your favourite cake, add Hellmann’s® Mayonnaise as an alternative to butter when baking.
- Replace spreads such as butter and hard margarines with soft, non-hydrogenated margarines, like Becel®, which is low in saturated fat, has no trans fat, and one 10 gram serving contains 4.0 grams of monounsaturated fat and 2.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat.
- Use Bertolli® Classico Olive Oil to grease your pan when frying or brush over meat to add flavour when cooking. Bertolli® has 6 grams of monounsaturated and1 gram of polyunsaturated fats per 10 mL (2 tsp) serving.
Consumers should always read nutrition labels and select products higher in mono and polyunsaturated fats and lower in saturated and trans fats.
For more information about healthy fats, Unilever Canada is pleased to offer third-party registered dietitians who speak French, English, Punjabi and Mandarin as resources for the media.
About Unilever
Unilever (NYSE: UL, UN), one of the world’s largest consumer products companies, aims to add vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Each day consumers make 150 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever has 230,000 employees in almost 100 countries and in 2005 had an annual turnover of €39.7 billion.
The company has a portfolio of more than 400 leading brands that make people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Unilever is best known in Canada by brands such as Becel®, Lipton®, Red Rose®, Slim-Fast®, Hellmann’s®, Knorr®, Breyers®, Popsicle®, Bertolli®, Sunlight®, AXE®, Vaseline®, Vim®, Q-Tips®, Dove®, Suave®, and Degree®. Unilever employs almost 2000 people across Canada and generated sales of just over C$1.6 billion in 2005.
For more global information visit www.unilever.com or in Canada, visit www.unilever.ca.
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For more information, or to speak to a dietitian about incorporating healthy fats into your diet, please contact:
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Ontario Elisabeth Mozel/Kate Hanna NATIONAL Public Relations (416) 586-0180 emozel@national.ca khanna@national.ca |
Quebec Chantal Benoit NATIONAL Public Relations (514) 843-2306 cbenoit@national.ca |
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Eastern Canada Adele MacLean MT&L (902) 420-1860 x263 amaclean@mctl.ca |
Alberta/Manitoba Tara Mason NATIONAL Public Relations (403) 531-0331 x260 tmason@national.ca |
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British Columbia Claire Munroe/Gwennie Cheung NATIONAL Public Relations (604) 684-6655 cmunroe@national.ca gcheung@national.ca |