I continue to be frustrated by government efforts to combat obesity, particularly childhood obesity. The Change4Life campaign now urges to limit children’s snacks to two a day max, each snack being 100 calories or less.

There is so much wrong with this that I don’t quite know where to start. First off, however, is the fact that we shouldn’t need to snack at all if we are having a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I was young we didn’t have snacks. Ever. We had our meals and the idea of eating stuff outside of those meals was not even thought of. There were very few overweight/obese children when I was at school in the 1960s (showing my age now). Part of that could be down to the fact that we moved around more, but I’m sure it was also due to not snacking.

The second thing is that there are so many unhealthy, over-processed foods that are 100 calories, and some people are going to take the message literally and NOT go for the healthier options.

The third is that, if you really must snack, there are some healthy things – a large banana, a small pot of Greek yoghurt with honey, a bag of nuts – which would be over 100 calories. So, you’re not allowed these now? Children should not be deprived of food, they should be actively encouraged to eat as many different un-processed foods as possible.

That last sentence leads me on to my next objection. I do really think that the processed foods lobby has a little hand in this campaign, as the emphasis should be on eating un-processed foods, and not stuff that comes in a package but is just lower in calories.

There still seems to be the emphasis on cutting out fat (as its calorie dense) which is so out-of-date. It is almost common knowledge now that the big cause of obesity is over-consumption of refined carbohydrates. So what have Change4Life got on their list as first ‘healthy’ 100 calorie snack – ‘malt loaf’?!

It’s not easy, I know, but there needs to be change made at the root level. This would include bringing back domestic science to the classroom, encouraging children and families to eat good healthy meals (and not snack if possible) and also eating much less stuff that comes out of a packet.

This last one is the biggest stumbling block, methinks.

Best wishes,
Wendy x