City News

Celebrity chefs Jean-Christophe Novelli and Matt Tebbutt are holding a three-day cookery masterclass at The Bullring in Birmingham from 17-19th June  to teach families how to cook healthier meals, low in saturated fats.

The chefs, stars of Five TV show, Family Food Fight with Flora, are on a mission to help Brummies find out their Heart Age and get heart-healthy.

Worrying research shows more than half (64%)   of families in Birmingham have no idea how much saturated fat they consume daily, or even what the Guideline Daily Allowance (GDA) for it is.

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 half (49%) of Birmingham parents want to learn more.

Saturated fats are particularly prevalent in processed foods, takeaways and ready meals.  With half of Birmingham families consuming up to three takeaways a week, the region’s heart health is in need of help.  Parents surveyed admitted time (38%) and money (16%) were the two biggest factors for not making fresh, homecooked meals more often.

When buying food for family mealtimes, taste was the number one consideration (37%) with little concern for fat levels (1%), benefits to heart health (6%) and calorie content (12%).  To address this, Flora has created a series of recipes to show Birmingham families that heart healthy food can deliver on taste as well as nutrition.

Flora has also launched a special Heart Age Calculator at 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.

A new scientific study supports the Flora Heart Age Calculator as a tool to help people understand the risk factors leading to Cardiovascular disease and be motivated to make positive diet and lifestyle changes.  
 
Current primetime TV programme ‘Family Food Fight with Flora’, on Tuesday’s at 7.30pm on Five, stars celebrity chefs Jean-Christophe Novelli and Matt Tebbutt.

The programme, sponsored by Flora, aims to encourage families to be more aware of their ‘Heart Age’, and as a result inspire them to take action. For example, switching from butter to Flora reduces your saturated fat intake by over 3kg a year  , and can be a great step towards keeping hearts healthy.

Jean-Christophe and Matt go head-to-head in each episode of the show to train two families to make healthy recipes, and change their bad eating habits. The lucky families then cook the dishes for diners in a central London restaurant before they are asked to vote for their favourite dishes.  

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 www.floraheartage.com