Notts kids eat three sugar cubes at breakfast

Parents are being encouraged to ‘Be Food Smart’ when it comes to their children after a report by Public Health England (PHE) showed the average child consumes almost three sugar cubes at breakfast time alone.

Of 93 per cent of Nottinghamshire’s reception age children (aged four to five) it was found that 21.3 per cent of them were overweight or obese in 2015/16. Of 86.9 per cent of year six children (aged ten and 11) 30.3 per cent were overweight or obese in the same time period.

PHE has now launched a new “Be Food Smart” app to help parents see how much sugar, saturated fat and salt can be found in everyday food and drink that their children consume.

Ann Crawford, deputy director of health and wellbeing at PHE East Midlands, said: “The latest child obesity figures for the East Midlands show just how important it is for families to know what they are putting on their plates.

“That’s why we’ve developed our Be Food Smart app, taking some of the pressure off parents and helping them to choose healthier food and drink options for their children.”

Nottinghamshire County Council is also doing its bit to help residents both young and old be healthier in 2017. It has launched the One You campaign to help people make healthier choices. For more information on the One You campaign, visit www.nhs.uk/oneyou

Download the free Be Food Smart app from the iTunes Store or Google Play.