Snack attacks can cause heart attacks

Are you a high-fat snacker? (Try saying that quickly after a night out.) Read on and learn how to snack in safety.

According to new research one in four of us (25%) regularly miss lunch at work. This figures goes up to nearer one in three in some male-dominated jobs such as factory work and labouring. The report says many people are missing traditional meals and 'grazing' on snack foods which are often dangerously high in saturated fats.

The survey of over 2,000 people by the doctor-patient organisation Developing Patient Partnerships provides one of the first insights into why the premature death rate from heart disease for male manual workers is 58% higher than for male non-manual workers. 

Nine in ten (89%) people surveyed admitted that they snack between meals.

• 43% snack on chocolate
• 41% on crisps
• 34% on cakes and pastries
• 21% consume pies and sausage rolls between meals

Cost appeared to be the main reason stopping us from buying healthier snacks with a quarter of people (26%) saying that they are too expensive.

Men are advised to eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day but how do you measure this? Here are some guidelines. All the following contain 10g of saturated fats:

• 50g cheese (enough for 1 sandwich)
• 2 large pork sausages
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 pork chop
• 10g butter (enough for one slice of bread)
• 4 shortbread biscuits
• 60g chocolate
• 110g (4oz) sirloin steak.

Cutting down on snacks and choosing the right one when you do feel tempted can make a big difference to the amount of saturated fat you eat as this table proves. Look before you lunch...