Healthy Eating

Childhood obesity is rarely out of the headlines these days as more and more results are revealed about the epidemic affecting our young children and teens, the causes of childhood obesity and the variety of ‘fixes’ suggested by governmental bodies, charities and teen-focused companies.  These are just some of the child obesity stories – or proposed ‘fixes’ for child obesity - that have recently hit the headlines:

More children are watching junk-food adverts despite ban – Independent, 7th April
“Government attempts to fight child obesity by banning adverts for junk food is being hampered by such programmes as The X Factor and Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, the Prime Minister's adviser on obesity has admitted. A ban was introduced in January on adverts for foods high in salt, sugar or fat during programmes whose viewers were mainly under the age of 16. It did not, however, affect the programmes with an audience mainly made up of adults, even though many more children watch them.”  Read more here…

Free school meals could beat obesity – The Mirror, 1st April
“A radical plan to give free school meals to all children could become the centrepiece of Labour's next election manifesto. Children's Secretary Ed Balls is said to be keen on the proposal, which would be a key weapon in the government's war on child obesity.” Read more here…

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‘Keep pupils in to stop them eating junk food' The Telegraph and BBC.co.uk, 29th March
“Children should be banned from leaving school at lunchtime so they cannot gorge on junk good, says the School Food Trust. Restrictions should also be placed on the opening of new burger bars, kebab shops, chip shops and sweet shops near schools to remove temptation from pupils, it is claimed.” Read more here… and here…

Stemming the rising tide of child obesity
It’s clear that child obesity is a major problem in the UK, with 33% of 11– 15 year olds obese or overweight…and that figure is still rising. And there are a great many strategies afoot to curb child obesity as the headlines above show.  However, if you’re concerned about your teenage son or daughter’s weight – or they’ve mentioned their own concerns to you – you may be looking for a local, practical, supportive way to help them lose weight, grow into their weight or learn to eat more healthily now. You'll want insightful advice about gauging the ideal weight for children.

Free2Go – Slimming World’s unique healthy eating, activity and support programme – has been specifically created to empower 11-15 year olds to make smarter choices, moving step-by-step towards a healthier, fitter, happier lifestyle. With input from their GP, the support of one of our warm and friendly groups and encouragement from their families, thousands of young members have already started the journey towards a lighter future and away from the stigma of child obesity.
Harry Moore is just one of our young members who has turned his life around.  You can read his weight loss story and watch his video here…

Or find your nearest Slimming World group today – whether you’re 11 years old or 111 years old, you’re sure of a warm welcome.