5th November 2016

Opinion – What DO we do about obesity?

I attended the Childhood Obesity Summit at which the great and the good of the nutrition, medical and behavioural science worlds collided to share their views on what is a global problem.  Obesity is inextricably linked to GDP yet is also associated with societal deprivation.  The UK is ‘the fat man of Europe’ spending more on treating obesity and type 2 diabetes than collectively on policing, the fire service and judiciary, to quote Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer.  With the latest Childhood Obesity Plan from the Government seen as a missed opportunity, particularly in early years settings, what should we be doing to combat obesity?   First things first, if I had a pound for every time I […]
26th October 2015

The taxing matter of sugar reduction

“We are eating too much sugar and it is bad for our health.”  And so begins Public Health England’s much publicised report on how to reduce the nation’s sugar consumption.  Their recommendations are welcome: nutritionists and dietitians have known for some time that foods high in free sugars (refined sugars added to food and those naturally present in honey, fruit juices and the many natural sweeteners like agave, maple syrup and malt extract) contribute to weight gain and should therefore be consumed in moderation.   The more difficult question is how we go about reducing sugar intake across the population.  The debate has been largely overtaken by the focus on the sugar tax, not least because of the support from […]