Safe Hearts Plan: Prevention starts with healthier diets

The European Commission’s Safe Hearts Plan rightly highlights the importance of healthy diets and lifestyle choices in reducing cardiovascular risk.

Fats are essential in our diets — but the quality of fat matters significantly.

Nutrition science shows that around 20–35% of daily energy intake should come from fat, and that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats helps improve cholesterol levels and reduce cardiovascular risk.

This is exactly where margarines and plant-based spreads play an important role.

• They are made primarily from plant-based oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids
• They help increase intake of essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
• Today’s margarines are virtually free of trans fats and are formulated to support balanced diets

In practice, simply switching from animal-based fats to soft margarine in everyday meals, can help reduce saturated fat intake and improve the fatty acid profile of the diet. This makes margarines and spreads a functional contributor to heart-healthy diets

To truly support cardiovascular health, Europe must strengthen education on heart-healthy diets for:

• Developing food literacy for European citizens of all ages must be a top and urgent priority
• Citizens making daily food choices
• Healthcare professionals advising patients
• Caterers and public food services shaping everyday meals

Heart health starts with informed choices, and with the right fats on the plate.

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