Page 32 - Healthy food

and are served a big portion 1970s and 3in wider at the hips. HOW TO HELP
you’re inclined to eat it all just Marilyn Monroe – often referred CHILDREN STAY SLIM
because you’re paying for it. This to as a curvy size 12 in 1958, Obesity in childhood remains
is OK once in a while but if you’re would actually be a size 6 using a worrying issue. Although the
someone who eats out regularly today’s measurements. number of obese children in
or grabs convenience food on the England fell from 10% in 2006/7
go, this can quickly cause you to MORE CALORIES, to 9% in 2015/16, we’ve still got
gain weight. LESS MOVEMENT a long way to go before we’re out
In its 2013 report Measuring Up, of the danger zone.
HOW BRITS GOT the Academy of Medical Royal ‘Portion size plays a significant
BIGGER IN THE 21ST Colleges blamed modern Size part in childhood obesity, along
CENTURY lifestyles, including our reliance with activity levels and the
You only have to look around at on the car, desk-bound jobs, 6 amount of fat and sugar that is
the supermarket or on the bus to sitting in front of the TV or being consumed,’ says Amanda.
see how we’ve all become larger. computer and high-calorie food ‘It’s been found that children
is the new
Latest NHS figures available for for this rapid rise in our national who have at least one obese
2015 reveal 58% of woman and excess baggage. size 12, with parent are 50% more likely to be
clothes
68% of men in England were ‘This isn’t the whole story,’ says obese. Part of that is probably
classed as overweight or obese. Amanda. ‘A finger also needs to being cut due to being regularly served
The prevalence of obesity in be firmly pointed at the steadily bigger to large portions.’
the UK rose dramatically from increasing portions of the foods fit our Tam Fry, chairman of the
15% in 1993 to 27% in 2015. and drinks we consume on a expanding National Obesity Forum, agrees
We’re now the joint-sixth (with day-to-day basis. It’s something waistlines that tackling portion sizes should
Canada) most obese nation in the that hasn’t escaped the notice and flatter be top of everyone’s list for
world – behind the US, Mexico, of Public Health England, which our egos reducing childhood obesity.
Hungary, New Zealand and in 2017 identified a need to ‘These days, children are
Australia. In the 1980s, just 6% of reduce serving sizes as a key probably eating twice as many
men and 8% of women in the UK pillar in its strategy to tackle calories as they need,‘ he says.
fell into this category. childhood obesity. ‘And yet it costs nothing for
To accommodate our ever- ‘Put simply, bigger portions parents to reduce portions.
expanding girths, the fashion mean bigger people. If, as a ‘We shouldn’t be giving our
industry is quietly making our nation, we want to return to children extra food unless they’re
dress sizes bigger. A survey by the size we were in the 1980s, genuinely hungry – in fact, we
The Economist in 2012 found an we could do a lot worse than should be helping them by
average size 14 pair of trousers is simply starting to downsize gradually reducing their portions
more than 4in wider at the waist portions to those we were eating if they’ve got into the habit of
than it would have been in the back then.’ eating too much.’

73

estimated
a large chocolate
bar would
only provide
4 portions
Individual pies are now
88 When shown a larger chicken pie, recommended 8
or fewer – rather
40% larger than in 1993.
than the
of those surveyed poured a 44g only 17% of people
portion of cornflakes – 50% correctly estimated it was
bigger than the recommended 30g recommended to serve 3

32 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE FEBRUARY 2018