Sugar is a blight on many people
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to eat more healthily or go on a diet. And with a third of British children overweight, the war on sugar and fattening foods is on – and this can only be a good thing (Mirror, Jan 2).
We can have savoury snacks and good quality chocolate in modest portions with relatively low calories and still be healthy and lose weight.
Also, we mustn’t forget most ready meals are very high in sugar, even low-fat ones. So, the message is cook from scratch, cut sugar where you can, have your main meal during the day and don’t deprive yourself of tasty treats. That’s not so bad, is it? Diane Silva, Lytham, Lancs I find it incredible that past and present governments have sat back and watched this obesity crisis among our children unfold over many years and done nothing. Do these people never walk our streets or pick up their children from school? If they did they would have seen what was blatantly obvious to the rest of us. I shudder to think what effect their total neglect of the problem is going to have on our NHS in the coming years. Roger Grant, Thurnscoe South Yorks As a child, I was told three meals a day was enough and it’s stood me in good stead. I always had porridge or bacon and eggs for breakfast, a cooked lunch and a light tea. Squash or fizzy pop were a rare treat. In addition, we walked to school and played outdoors. Perhaps fewer snacks and more outdoor exercise is the key to avoiding childhood obesity. Joyce Major Kingswinford, West Mids I know we all need to eat a well balanced healthy diet, but please think about a diabetic person like myself suddenly feeling hypo and needing sugary foods to raise blood sugar levels.
Although well controlled, my type-1 diabetes has caught me out a couple of times. With people leading busy lives, sometimes grabbing a bite to eat to fill you up has to be quick.
I welcome advice but the Government shouldn’t force t he is su e . Education is a must. Lynn n Sims Southampton thampton Snacks are a big problem. As a child in the 1950s snacks were just not part of life. And I thank my mum for making us wait a bit longer for our meal if we were hungry.
We did, of course, have occasional treats but that is just what they were, occasional. It almost seems as if parents are afraid to say no to their children these days. Helen Rawles, Blandford, Dorset Public Health England again blames parents for the obesity epidemic whilst knowingly ignoring the main cause. Children are obese because they can no longer play out in the street as they have done for countless previous generations. Their fixation on sugar is also misguided. It encourages the use of synthetic sweeteners. Children need food that is less sweet. Having sweet synthetic food means natural fruit and vegetables taste sour by comparison. A healthy lifestyle can also be fostered by giving pedestrians priority in residential streets, so children can play safely outside every day. Rob Wheway, Dir Director, Ch Children’s P Play A Advisory Service