Category Archive: Children and Families

Mar 11

Mental Health March: My tears for a family torn apart

This is a super-long post.  I’m not going to embellish it with pretty pictures, because it’s not a pretty read.  I appreciate that this might put you off reading it, but so be it.  I’m a fun, bubbly person, but on some matters I’m deadly serious.  This is one of them. It’s Mental Health March, …

Continue reading »

Jan 16

100-Calorie Snacks for Kids?

Sugar in snacks

Recently, Public Health England launched a campaign encouraging parents to limit children’s snacks to no more than 2 a day, with a maximum of 100 calories per snack.  If you’re in the UK, you may have seen the adverts. The data behind this campaign are alarming.  According to PHE, children aged 4-10 get over half …

Continue reading »

Jan 12

National Obesity Awareness Week

Eating disorders are about feelings, not about food

This week is National Obesity Awareness Week, so it seemed appropriate to talk a little about obesity and separate fact from fiction.  I’m probably going to be a little controversial here; as an obese person myself I’ve certainly had time and opportunity to formulate my own views. What is Obesity? The NHS defines an obese …

Continue reading »

Aug 25

Childhood Obesity Strategy: Not a magic bullet; may be missing a trick

Vegan labels

Last week the Government launched its long-awaited Childhood Obesity Strategy.  Cue MPs on both sides of the house dismissing the strategy as ineffective, and social media trolls decrying the role of the nanny state and demanding that parents take responsibility for removing junk from their child’s diet, or risk their offspring being taken into care. I …

Continue reading »

Jul 22

Cut the Sugar in Children’s Diets to Prevent Heart Attacks?

Child eating sugar with a spoon

A study published in the journal ‘Atherosclerosis’ is making headlines this week (1).  According to press articles (the original article isn’t available for public viewing yet), substituting starchy carbohydrates for sweet ones can improve some of the key markers for heart disease in children in just 9 days (2). As someone who makes a living from …

Continue reading »

Jun 23

Children’s Sugar Intake Soars; is there an Alternative? (Part 2)

Water infused with fruits

In last week’s article, I discussed the amount of sugar children in this country consume on a daily basis.  I also suggested how parents might encourage the development of a healthier relationship with food, and indeed with oneself. I am well aware that general statements are not enough, and that they don’t apply to every person in every …

Continue reading »

Jun 02

Children’s Sugar intake Soars; is there an Alternative? (Part 1)

Child feeling left out

  Children’s sugar intake is alarmingly high, suggests a recent survey of children’s diets.  The average schoolchild eats around 19 teaspoons of sugar a day; four times the advised daily intake for children.  Meanwhile 27% of 5 year olds have tooth decay (1), and hospital admissions for children and teenagers with obesity-related complications have quadrupled in …

Continue reading »