So just HOW should 'the government' tackle obesity etc...??

Good ideas, notanan. Would that we have some sincerely politicians pushing such ideas!

have had

Should we start a political party? This sounds too sensible to be true.

Good ideas indeed notanan

There's a trend developing where we live for people to go for a walk during their lunch hour. Two work sites where you regularly see groups of people (2s, 3s and 4s usually) in work suits and trainers striding out around lunch time. Firms can actively encourage this by ensuring workers don't habitually sit glued to their computer during lunch breaks.

It's a start.

my lunch break is 30 mins, by the time you've either microwaves something or gone and bought it there's just enough time to guzzle it down before going back to the part of the building I work in, I sometimes run up the stairs but other than that there wouldn't be time for even 10 jumping jacks not that they are my exercise of choice post children LOL

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Oh get lost prernasain and take your stupid advertising with you.

Reported.

It is clear from all the posts that us older people have a good grasp of what food / behaviour is going to make you fat!
I eat some ready meals but a quick check of the back of the packet informs me if its very high in the `unhealthy` things then I can make a choice about whether to buy it or not .

Good information / education in school has got to be the starting point and from speaking to my GC this does seem to be happening . Following it up at home with high fat/ sugar foods only being given occasionally is surely only sensible? Saying all this - I am fatter than I used to be so I think `moving` plays a big part in maintaining a healthy weight , I move a lot less due to ill health and the weight gain has happened since becoming unwell . I have read that in some areas prescriptions for exercise in a gym are given out to people with weight and chronic pain issues ? not sure if this has been scrapped but it does seem like a good idea .

The government's chief nutritionist (sic) has just been on the Today programme talking to Nick Robinson, starting around 8.45.
Apparently children on average consume 3 times the recommended level of sugar.
Public Health England have launched an app that, if I understood correctly, allows you to hold the barcode on your packet of cereal to your ipad or iphone and it will then tell you what the sugar, salt and saturated fat content of the product is.
Presumably that's only for people who have smartphones and who for some reason can't locate the panel on the packet that gives them this information anyway.......<sigh>
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj9z/episodes/player
The nutritionist did say that the sugar levy on soft drinks has been introduced and manufacturers have lowered the sugar content of drinks as a result. She didn't say what they have put in the drinks instead of sugar.

Link to public health england's new app
www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/change4life-launches-food-tracker-app-63m-campaign/1419545

I posted this on another thread, but it may be of interest here.
www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/02/the-case-against-sugar-gary-taubes-review-compelling-attack-diet-myths
I think the point that interests me most is that the "calories in calories out" and "eat less move more" messages have clearly not been working.

Thanks for the link mamie

I saw the item on BBC TV news today about sugar in cereals.
You have to really search hard to find one without sugar.
Even muesli, which originally was supposed to be a healthy cereal - I saw one with chocolate chips the other day.
The trouble is that once people have got used to all food having a slightly sweet taste we don't fancy those without.
So - ban sugar in cereals - get used to it!

With sweets and chocolates, alcohol and non alcohol drinks on offer everywhere you turn in a supermarket and adverts on the TV what hope is there for those with a soft spot for such items? Picking on breakfast cereal I think is counterproductive as we need something to get us going in the morning. It's the snacks in the middle that are harming. My Pilates instructor said, with a twinkle in his eye, 'just eat less; use a smaller plate'. My GP said something similar. It's all about willpower but I'm the last one to talk about that though I'm eating better since I started exercising more - so perhaps that's the way to go AND I'm v-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y losing weight. I'm sick of agencies telling us what to do all the time - it will be something different soon. If you enjoy breakfast cereal then eat it - at breakfast!!!

Good link Mamie and a growing body of evidence to support Taubes.

Gary Taubes has been going on about sugar for years and, to an extent, I think he's right about the demonisation of fat. I'm not a food scientist, but I have followed a high fat/low carbohydrate diet for years and it works for me. I've had my blood sugar, cholesterol and weight monitored more than most, so there's obviously something in it. However, it worried me a bit that the message in the Guardian article is that overall calorie intake doesn't matter, because it does. I'll leave the scientists to argue about whether sugar triggers some kind of metabolic change, because I honestly don't know. My food is low carb of all sorts, not just low sugar. Most of my carbs come from raw vegetables and some fruit.

There was an article today on the BBC about ending 'cake days' at work, which I support. It's quite difficult to refuse cake at work when it's offered and I'm sure I was often seen as anti-social. Whenever I had to work 12+ hour days (parents' evening, etc) schools used to provide a meal. More often than not, this was sandwiches and cake with fruit juice. I used to take more sandwiches than necessary, take out the fillings, throw away the bread and drink water or I used to take in a piece of cooked chicken and a few nuts. Whatever I did, many people thought I was odd.

I would love to see employers taking more responsibility for their employees' well being across a whole range of issues. Robert Owen, the nineteenth century mill owner and philanthropist, knew that providing a healthier environment for his workers meant that they were not only healthier and happier, but more productive.

Ooops! Forgot the link to the BBC article, which seems to have disappeared now from the BBC front page.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38491414

Disagree totally goldengirl but then I've never eaten cereals for breakfast since I reached the age where I could choose for myself (about 8?) so there are plenty of alternatives or you could just go without. There is increasing evidence that a period of fasting is actually good for you metabolically and what better way than building a 12 hour fast into your daily régime? It's a myth that you need something to 'get you going in the morning'.

Nobody 'tells you what to do' they just issue advice to nudge you in a certain direction and you are free to take that advice or ignore it.

I must admit that I love breakfast - I guess it's habit. I always think it's the best part of staying in a hotel. I get a bit shakey mid-morning if I skip breakfast. However, my breakfast is usually high in fat and protein. One of my favourites is scrambled egg on a grilled flat mushroom on a small piece of granary toast, which soaks up the mushroom juices. I don't eat cereals.

DD I have never counted calories on the LCHF diet and like many others have lost weight and kept it off. I think the point is that the things that you eat are much more sustaining than carbs and you feel full, don't need to snack etc.
We still eat muesli but make our own to avoid added sugar and use nuts and seeds with a small amount of dried fruit or fresh berries. With full-fat yoghurt it keeps us going through a morning's hard graft in the garden. We have lots of eggs too.
I think the answer for people who find it hard to resist things in the supermarket could be to shop on-line? We can't do that in rural France but we shop a lot at the market.

I rarely count carbs either, Mamie, because after 25 years I know how much to eat. Every so often, I monitor what I eat by putting my food intake into a food log called 'Food Focus' and I just eat the way I do from habit.

However, I'm not trying to lose weight. If I were, I'd start off by looking at how many calories I was eating and work out which ones are the least nutrition-rich and I'd cut down portion sizes.

My interest in diet started when I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes. The standard advice at the time didn't work for me. It was based round starchy carbs, which sent my blood glucose levels up, even in quite small quantities. It wasn't until I cut out the carbs (not just added sugar) and increased my fat and protein intake that my blood glucose levels stabilised.

DD OH got out of pre-diabetes on LCHF. We did both lose weight though, (he lost 30kg and I lost 15kg) but still without counting calories. We did also cut portion size, but happily ate cheese, butter, meat with fat throughout. As seems to be the case with LCHF cholesterol dropped too and he was taken off statins.
I agree with you that you seem to have have much more control over what you eat with LCHF. We certainly have had no problem sticking to it for several years now.

Read headline that some children's breakfasts mayh contain the equivalant of THREE SUGAR CUBES!!!

Actually I am being totally sarcastic as I do not think three sugar cubes first thing in the morning would do any harm to any child.

But there's one in another paper which says 'Children eat half their sugar allowance at breakfast' which is a bit more alarming!

How much sugar was there in the average gobstopper back in the fifties?