Download this document

About the Campaign
Concerned that America will go back to higher saturated fat consumption as the nation moves to significantly reduce trans fat, the American Heart Association has developed the Face the Fats campaign to help consumers minimize trans fat in their diet, while avoiding the unintended health consequence of defaulting to more saturated fat. Among the campaign's top priorities is to encourage the replacement of trans fat-laden partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, animal fats, and tropical oils with healthier oils higher in unsaturated fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

On average, American adults consume approximately 2.2 percent of total calories from trans fat a day and four to five times as much saturated fat a day. This is far above the limits for trans and saturated fats that the American Heart Association recommends. Both of these "bad" fats raise the "bad" LDL cholesterol, contain the same amount of calories and increase the risk of developing heart disease.

The Face the Fats campaign helps break down complex fat information, focusing on the bad fats and healthier alternatives. It's important for consumers to eat all fats in moderation, and eat foods with the "bad" fats as treats only — once in a while — rather than often.

AmericanHeart.org/FacetheFats
The American Heart Association created www.AmericanHeart.org/FaceTheFats, a central online resource for consumers to learn about fats. The website includes suggestions on how to make heart healthy choices in everyday situations, such as grocery shopping, eating out, or cooking at home.

The Bad Fats Brothers: Don't Let Them Break Your Heart
To help clear up the confusion about the types of fats, the American Heart Association introduced the nation to two characters — literally and figuratively — named Sat and Trans, the Bad Fats Brothers. The brothers were created as a mnemonic to personify the bad fats and to give consumers a new way to look at and remember which fats are bad, why they're bad and where they can be found.

Sat
Sat is the older brother who has been around a long time. Many people have met Sat before because he is in many popular foods. Sat believes food is one of life's greatest pleasures; therefore eating is his passion. He likes big thick steaks, loaded potatoes and anything with butter on it. The more time you spend with him, the better chance he'll clog your arteries and break your heart.

Trans
Trans is a fun-loving guy who has been in the news lately. He likes to keep his friends happy by giving them everything their hearts desire — especially if what they desire is deep fried and delicious. Trans is a real heartbreaker — a sweet-talker, devastatingly handsome and easy to love.

The Better Fats Sisters: Be Kinder to Your Heart
The American Heart Association has created two new characters — Mon and Poly, the Better Fats Sisters — as counterparts to the Bad Fats Brothers.

The Better Fats Sisters were developed to help consumers learn more about the benefits of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and where they can be found. While their brothers are "heartbreakers," the sisters are "heart helpers." However, because they are part of the same family, the sisters do share some basic traits with their brothers, like having 9 calories per gram. But, unlike the Bad Fats Brothers, they are nurturing, trustworthy characters who will never try to mislead you. They're a genuine, down-to-earth pair. And they're straight shooters — ladies who will tell it like it is.

Mon
Mon's a quick-witted lady with a real zest for life. She's truly Type A, with lots of energy and advice to give. She'll empathize with you, but won't hold anything back or let you off the hook too easily. She has a sassy, no-nonsense style of humor. Mon's a tough cookie with a heart of gold.

Poly
Poly is a warm, gentle, good-humored lady who is calmer than her sister Mon. She's a complex character — knowledgeable and very passionate about science and how it can help us stay healthy, but understands human nature and likes to have some fun herself. Finding the right balance is very important to her. She's a little more brainy/bookish than Mon, and always offers the facts to back up her sister's advice.