Almost £600,000 funding to help prevent childhood obesity
Children up to the age of five and their families are being given the tools to develop healthy habits through six projects aimed at preventing childhood obesity and reducing health inequalities.
Almost £600,000 is going to programmes such as JumpStart Tots – run by NHS Ayrshire & Arran – which has already seen a number of young children and families in the area benefit from this healthy weight programme.
The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure all children have the best start in life and the projects support the ambition to halve childhood obesity in Scotland by 2030.
This builds on the range of actions being taken as a result of the 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan to ensure everyone eats well and has a healthy weight.
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “On World Obesity Day we reiterate the importance of improving health and reducing health inequalities across Scotland.
“We want Scotland to be the best place in the world for a child to grow up and we know good nutrition and physical activity is crucial for children’s health and development.
“These projects are crucial to our bold ambition to halve childhood obesity in Scotland by 2030. They tackle inequalities working with families and communities to encourage healthy eating and offering support for those experiencing food insecurity.
“We will continue to support local partners to develop these ambitious and effective plans to help prevent and reduce childhood obesity, alongside policies such as our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan and Best Start Foods payment, which are central to our commitment to ensure everyone in Scotland has access to healthy, nutritious food.”
Consultant Dietitian in Public Health Nutrition for NHS Ayrshire& Arran, Dr Ruth Campbell said: “The continued early years funding from Scottish Government has enabled NHS Ayrshire & Arran to extend the Jumpstart Tots programme to more families across Ayrshire.
“Jumpstart Tots is an interactive healthy lifestyle programme which offers families with children aged between two and five, a minimum of eight one hour sessions that are planned to suit each individual family’s needs.
“Local parents feedback has been that the Jumpstart Tots programme has helped them make changes that their whole family has been able to benefit from as a result of finding out more about the food they eat.”
Projects receiving funding are:
NHS Ayrshire & Arran: JumpStart Tots – £53,769
NHS Lanarkshire: ‘Little n Lively’ programme in partnership with Healthy Valleys – £150,000
I’m a pet expert and here is how to keep the extra inches off of your dog
For World Obesity Day, 4 March 2023, PDSA are shedding the light for how to know if your dog is overweight, and how energetic your dog breed truly is.
PDSA Vet Nurse, Shauna Walsh, shares expert insight into some of the UK’s popular dog breeds and how to know if your four-legged friend is carrying extra weight around the edges:
“It sounds obvious, but dogs who eat too much and don’t exercise enough, get fat! If you feed your dog a lot of treats as well as their normal food, most of the extra calories will turn into excess inches.
“It can be easy to dismiss any extra weight on your dog, especially if their fluffy coat hides the excess pounds! With images of plump pooches – tubby terriers or rotund retrievers being increasingly showcased and viewed as ‘normal’, it can be difficult to know what a healthy shape is for your dog.”
Dogs come in all different builds and sizes depending on their breed-type, but a healthy shape is the same for every dog. Your dog’s body shape will help to give you an idea of whether they’re carrying too much weight.
The veterinary term for this is ‘Body Condition Scoring’ (BCS), and it is simple and easy to do at home with your canine companion:
Run your hands along your dog’s sides. The skin should move freely over the ribs, which you should be able to feel with a light touch.
Run your hands along your dog’s back. You should be able to feel the spine and hipbones under the skin without being able to see them – they shouldn’t be sticking out.
Gently feel the base of your dog’s tail, there shouldn’t be a build-up of fat where the tail joins the spine.
Feel under your dog’s tummy, it should go in, not bulge out.
Look at your dog from the side and from above. You should be able to see a waist. If not, your dog may be overweight.
Knowing your pet’s body condition score helps you to know if they need to lose some pounds, but it’s also important to know your pet’s current weight – use both together to work out what their ideal weight should be.
Weighing them regularly means you can quickly spot any changes, and then tweak their diet and exercise to correct it. You can visit your vet to weigh larger dogs, and small dogs can also be weighed at home quite easily using bathroom scales.
Maintaining a healthy weight is down to feeding the right amounts of a balanced diet, as well as appropriate levels of exercise.
Shauna advises: “All dogs need daily exercise, but how much they need depends on lots of factors, including their age, breed, fitness level and any health conditions they may have.
“Every dog is an individual, so it is very important to consider your dog’s specific needs when exercising them – young dogs won’t need as much exercise as they grow, and that may be the same for some senior dogs, who could benefit from resting their aging paws! For dogs with health concerns, the levels of exercise they need will be best discussed with your vet and adjusted appropriately.
“Unless your vet advises otherwise, all dogs need at least one walk a day for their physical and mental health – some dogs prefer a long leisurely walk, and others prefer multiple shorter walks split up throughout the day. You can also incorporate games and playtime into your dog’s daily routine to keep things fun in-between walks.”
Your dog’s breed plays a large part in their natural energy levels, which affects how much exercise they need. Some high-energy breeds need significantly more exercise than others, as well as mental stimulation throughout the day. Flat-faced breeds such as Pugs, Bulldogs, and Shih Tzu’s still need exercise, but often struggle to breathe due to the shape of their face so they need extra consideration to not over-exert them during walks and playtime.
Very high-energy breeds
These breeds are ideal for active owners who will take them out on adventures and make sure they have plenty to do all the time. They need plenty of varied exercise opportunities every day and we recommend spreading these across the day in several walks to have a good sniff around, with off-lead time on top. As well as keeping their paws active, you want to keep their brains busy, too! Make sure you have plenty of time to play with your dog, have training sessions and create some games that will really challenge their minds to prevent them from getting bored. Popular very high energy breeds include: Labradors, Siberian Huskies, Border Collies, German Shepherds, Dalmatians and Golden Retrievers.
High-energy breeds
Whilst these breeds still require plenty of exercise opportunities, they may want a little more downtime than the very high-energy breeds. They will still want daily varied exercise, on top of some brain games to provide mental stimulation, however will also appreciate some time to relax and rest their paws, more than breeds with more energy to burn! Popular high energy breeds include: Whippets, Poodles, French Bulldogs and Cocker Spaniels.
Moderate-energy breeds
Although these breeds aren’t known for bouncing off of the walls with energy, they will still require a good amount of exercise in order to keep them fit, active and healthy. All dogs, regardless of energy levels still require exercise, as well as mental stimulation to avoid becoming a couch potato! If your dog prefers a gentle plod over a run around, be sure to offer plenty of brain games for them to participate in. Popular moderate-energy breeds include: Miniature Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Yorkshire Terriers and King Charles Spaniels.
Being a healthy weight and shape will improve your pet’s quality of life, as they can enjoy walks and activity, which in turn improves their mental health, and can delay the onset of long-term diseases, helping them to live longer.
Shauna added: “it can feel like a big challenge to get a pet to lose weight or keep off the pounds, but trust us, it’s worth it for the long term – we all want our dogs to be in our lives for as long as possible! When your dog is their ideal size and shape, they will be healthier, happier and more active. They will also have the best chance of living a long, healthy life. If you are struggling with your pet’s weight, contact your vet for help and advice.”
PDSA Big Weigh In launched in partnership with Royal Canin – the aim is to help pets live a better and hopefully longer life, by maintaining a healthy weight. With just one month to go, pet owners across the UK are invited to join in and visit a participating practice for a free weight check throughout March.
PDSA has also launched the PDSA #WeighUp Pet Weight Loss Support Group, for fellow pet owners to join, share their progress and access exclusive tips and content, including weekly Q&As with PDSA vets and vet nurses, all to help each pet owner with their pet’s weight loss journey.
To find out more before visiting your local participating practice, please visit PDSA’s website.
Huge charitable effort from Greene King pubs across Scotland as they raise a phenomenal £193,743 for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2022
Greene King’s total raised for Macmillan Cancer Support tops an incredible £3million in 2022, the highest 12-month total
Greene King has raised over £14million during its10-year partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support
Greene King pubs across Scotland raised an amazing £193,743 for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2022 to help people living with cancer.
The brilliant fundraising efforts by pub teams and the generous support of customers means that the money raised can be used to support the 155 Macmillan professionals currently funded by the charity across Scotland such as specialist dietitians, therapists and the iconic Macmillan nurse.
Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, has now raised a staggering £14million for Macmillan over its 10-year charity partnership. The tenth year marked a record breaking £3million annual total for the charity. This equates to £342 raised every hour in 2022, which is enough to fund a Macmillan nurse for a whole day.
There was an outstanding effort from kind-hearted regulars and team members at Greene King’s Smiddy Inn in Cumbernauld where a phenomenal £12,518 was raised over the past year.
There was a busy calendar of fundraising events at the popular Ben Lawers Drive pub involving the pub team, regulars and the wider community. Highlights included walking the Rob Roy, the family fun day and taking part in the Edinburgh Tartan Track as well as a host of raffles, hampers, quizzes and bingo nights.
Julia Hutton, general manager of the Smiddy Inn, said: “We are just so proud of everyone’s efforts here at the pub. We were determined to pull out all the stops and set our targets high. And we did it!
“This really was a team effort. The fun days, craft days and Christmas market were great. At every event we have a raffle table, it’s simple but effective and keeps the money rolling in. We go around the pub with collection buckets and people are always happy to pop some money in.
“Our thanks go out to everyone who works here and all our customers. What a year it has been. We have a wall chart showing what we have raised so everyone can see the progress we are making. We’ve had fun in our fundraising and it’s been great to do our bit. Let’s see what we can do in 2023!”
Alison Ramsay, senior social impact manager at Greene King, said: “This is proof that charity really is at the heart of all our pubs. What better way is there to celebrate our 10-year partnership with Macmillan than by having a record-breaking 12-months of fundraising.
“Our teams and customers are simply brilliant to have raised over £3million in 2022. Sadly, we all know someone living with cancer but we know every single pound raised in our pubs helps.”
Local Macmillan Relationship Fundraising Manager, Kirsteen Plop, said: “What a fantastic effort. A big thank you and well done to all the Greene King team members and customers at the Smiddy Inn in Cumbernauld for their amazing fundraising. £12,518 is such a brilliant total.
“Right now, Macmillan is needed now more than ever, and we want to be there for people living with cancer in our community. Macmillan services, such as the innovative and free 12-week Macmillan Move More – North Lanarkshire programme which offers a wide variety of gentle exercise sessions in a number of locations, make a real difference to the lives of people living with cancer and we simply couldn’t do what we do without the support of our partners like Greene King.
“We’re immensely grateful to everyone at Greene King for their continued and generous support of Macmillan and the millions of pounds that the partnership has raised over the years.”
Persistent bloating. Abdominal Pain. Feeling full quickly. Needing to wee more often.
The level of awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms is devastatingly low, and not knowing what to look out for could lead to a delayed diagnosis of the deadliest gynaecological cancer.
I write to you today as we need to increase widespread awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer to help improve early diagnosis rates. Right now, just 1 in 5 (20%) women can name persistent bloating as a symptom of ovarian cancer1, with only one in three (34%) contacting their GP if they experience it2.
If I’d have known the symptoms, I would have seen my GP a lot earlier.
I began to experience pain in my abdomen, similar to period pain, the summer before my diagnosis – along with needing to wee more often and changes to my bowel habits – but I just dismissed it due to my age.
I never had ovarian cancer in my mind.
It was initially suspected as IBS, but a CT scan and ultrasound later confirmed the cancer, which had spread.
My experience has shown me that so much more needs to be done to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms in order to save lives. If diagnosed at the earliest stages 9 in 10 women will survive3, but currently two thirds of women are diagnosed late, when the cancer is harder to treat4.
That’s why this Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (March), together with Target Ovarian Cancer, I want everyone to know the potential significance of the symptoms: bloating, abdominal pain, feeling full quickly and needing to wee more often.
Editor, share the symptoms with readers this month. Help to stop this disease devastating lives.
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity working to change lives with reading and writing, has launched a series of free workshops, available online and in local libraries, designed to help those who support and care for people living with dementia.
The charity runs Reading is Caring, a programme which provides personalised training on creating shared, sensory reading experiences to those caring for someone living with dementia – whether that’s a partner, relative, friend or professional carer. Reading is Caring is designed to ease daily challenges by creating special moments of connection, sparking positive memories and relieving stress.
A Reading is Caring participant, caring for her mother who lives with dementia, said: ‘Reading is Caring was fantastic. The stories bring mum into the here and now. She laughs, she’s interested and engaged. I get a glimpse of her personality again, which is lovely for both of us.’
Now in its third year, Reading is Caring has been proven to provide a consistent, connective activity for family, friends, and professional carers to use at every stage of the dementia journey.
People in Edinburgh and the Lothians who support someone living with dementia can attend a two-part workshop series online, or head along to one of the drop-in sessions at Craigmillar Library and Musselburgh Library.
These free workshops provide the knowledge and tools needed to share reading with someone living with dementia. Scottish Book Trust provide personal support throughout and after the training to help tailor the experience to the unique needs of each person, removing barriers to participation at every stage of their dementia journey.
Musselburgh Library workshops:
Monday 27 February: 3–4pm
Monday 6 March: 3–4pm
Monday 13 March: 3–4pm
Monday 20 March: 3–4pm
Monday 27 March: 3–4pm
Monday 3 April: 3–4pm
Craigmillar Library workshops:
Thursday 2 March: 10.30–11.30am
Thursday 9 March: 10.30–11.30am
Thursday 16 March: 10.30–11.30am
Thursday 23 March: 10.30–11.30am
Thursday 30 March: 10.30–11.30am
Thursday 6 April: 10.30–11.30am
Online workshops take place regularly and can be found on Scottish Book Trust’s website.
LOCAL residents are being encouraged to sign up for a community tree-planting session next week to help create a new woodland in Granton.
Granton Crescent is to be home to Edinburgh’s latest Wee (or Tiny) Forest as part of the Council’s work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. The creation of the new Wee Forest has been made possible by funding from Banister Charitable Trust.
The City of Edinburgh Council, in partnership with Earthwatch Europe and Edinburgh Lothian Greenspace Trust, is hosting a special planting day on Thursday 2 March from 1pm – and all are welcome.
A Wee Forest is a dense, fast-growing, native woodland about the size of a tennis court and is capable of attracting over 500 animal and plant species within the first three years. It also provides rich opportunities for engaging young and old alike with the environment and sustainability.
Earthwatch is pioneering the initiative in the UK, using a forestry management technique developed in Japan by Dr Miyawaki in the 1970s. By encouraging the trees to grow in tightly packed formation, fighting each other for sunlight and nutrients, they will grow ten times faster than a traditional forest.
The new Wee Forest – which will be planted at Granton Crescent by local residents and local primary school pupils – will not only be attractive locations for wildlife, but for people too, and will provide a range of benefits in the fight against climate change.
Volunteers can book a place on any of these dates via Eventbrite.
Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker, said: “Our newest “Wee Forest” allows residents to be directly involved in tackling the nature and climate crises by being involved in the planting, maintaining and development of the forests in their own community. The Wee Forests will also help us work towards our goal of being a Million Tree City by 2030 and to be net zero.
“A Wee Forest brings the benefits of a forest – connecting people with nature, raising awareness of the environment, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and supporting urban wildlife – right in the heart of our community within urban spaces in the city.
“For each Wee Forest, we look to engage a core group of volunteers called Tree Keepers to act as ambassadors for their local forest. Volunteering as a Tree Keeper is a great chance to get more involved in your Wee Forest’s development and track the amazing environmental impact of the site and I would encourage everyone to find out more by contacting Earthwatch.
“I hope residents will join the planting on 2 March. The planting is free to attend and open to all ages. Equipment is provided on the day but feel free to bring along your own gloves and spade.”
Louise Hartley, Tiny Forest Programme Manager at Earthwatch Europe, said: “Tiny Forest provides rich opportunities for connecting young and old alike with the environment and sustainability.
“It’s vital that we give people the knowledge and skills to protect our natural world and inspire them to take positive action. We are delighted to be working with City of Edinburgh Council to bring these inspiring spaces to the Capital.”
Families caring for young disabled adults at home are being offered help by a forward-thinking national charity to improve quality of life.
Faced with three times higher costs to bring up disabled children, the continuing cost-of-living crisis is placing families in financial jeopardy. It is therefore even harder to afford the things that improve their disabled young adult’s day-to-day living.
National charity Family Fund is now urging families with a disabled 18-24 year-old living at home to apply for wide-ranging grants through its Your Opportunity scheme.
Set up four years ago, to help young disabled adults lead more fulfilling lives and realise ambitions – the scheme offers grants to support the transition to adulthood and includes technology, training and leisure activities.
Your Opportunity has supported over 1,200 families across the UK in the last 12 months and immediate funds are now available to help many more.
Family Fund is the UK’s largest grant-making charity for families living on a low income, raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people. Last year, it provided over 170,919 grants and services worth over £37 million to families across the UK.
The charity’s latest research, based on polls with the families it supports, shows that over four out of five families (82%) say they cannot replace worn out furniture and nearly four out of five (78%) say they cannot afford to repair or replace major electrical goods such as cookers, fridges or washing machines.
For nearly half of families with disabled children and young people, paying for a beneficial activity or hobby for their disabled child is out of the question.
Cheryl Ward, Family Fund’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We continue to see families with disabled or seriously ill children and young people increasingly struggling to afford the most basic household essentials like food and heating as costs rise and many face mounting debts.
“This means there is very little room for the extras which improve a young person’s quality of life- yet when a child reaches 18, they lose an average of 57% of the support and benefits they had before they reached adulthood.
“Raising a disabled or seriously ill child is three times more expensive than raising other children and this financial cliff-edge at 18 can be very tough for parents and carers of young adults. With the cost of living continuing to increase, we’re urging families to apply to us for grants as soon as possible, through our Your Opportunity scheme.”
Your Opportunity grants include:
computers or tablets to support young people with further education, online hobbies and the overall building of independence;
transport costs for bus fares for appointments, or to support independent travel to clubs or hobbies;
help with the cost of membership fees, season tickets, computer games, and music systems to promote recreation and days out;
help with the cost of buying a provisional driving licence, and other learning materials to support driving ambitions;
white goods to help with independence, or help make mealtimes easier for carers;
sports, or lightweight, wheelchairs to enable participation in sport activities, or access to activities that would not be possible with a day-to-day wheelchair.
The Your Opportunity scheme was initially set up in 2019 by Family Fund, with funding from Edward Gostling Foundation, Pears Foundation and funding raised by Family Fund.
Cheryl Wardadded: “We are extremely grateful to The Edward Gostling Foundation and Pears Foundation for recognising the need to support our work in improving the lives of young people across the UK.”
Families are eligible to apply if the young person lives at home with their parent or main carer.
Families interested in making an application for a young person should go to:
George, 22, has Down’s Syndrome and autism. He lives in Derbyshire with mum, Jemma, step-father Shaun and brother Charlie, 19, has breathing problems and requires an oxygen machine when asleep.
Jemma said: “The cost-of-living crisis has impacted our lives hugely. I worry about it a lot because when you have a child, like George, who requires the use of an oxygen machine overnight, your bills are horrendous.
“After George turned 18, a lot of the support finished but life didn’t get any easier. Our lives didn’t change, and we still need support.
“I’ve always been frugal with things but it’s getting to a point where I think I literally can’t cut back anymore. I shop in the cheaper supermarkets and buy the reduced items. I do everything that I can but it comes to a point where there’s nothing more that you can do. We don’t ever eat out or have takeaways.
“We’ve not been on holiday, or go on day trips. Also, because I’m a carer, I can’t even do more hours at work because I don’t have anyone else to look after George. Everything is going up but we don’t have any more money.
“The biggest worry for me is the cost of electricity and running George’s oxygen machine. I genuinely have no idea if I’m going to be able to run that at Christmas. If the cost goes up even more then I probably won’t be able to.
“Furthermore, the cost of fuel is huge. It’s got to the point where I only drive to work and back. I used to take George on drives to visit places, but we can’t afford to do that anymore.”
George enjoys singing and performing arts at his specialist college and his family are anxious to be able to support activities that further improve his quality of life at home.
Grants from the Your Opportunity scheme have helped the family purchase items – a swinging garden chair and a computer – which they could not otherwise have afforded.
Jemma added: “George absolutely loves the chair. He never used to sit outside before, but now he spends hours on it rocking, so when the weather is fine he is able to sit out and enjoy time in the garden.
“George also uses the computer for his specialised programmes that help his conditions through education and entertainment. He loves technology.”
Picture shows: George in his swinging garden chair
· BT Group’s activities provided estimated boost of £1.5bn to the Scottish economy last year and supported nearly 15,000 jobs across Scotland
· Estimates include the knock-on impact of the spend of employees and payment to suppliers in local economies in all parts of the country
· The company spent £190m with suppliers based in Scotland last year
The activities of BT Group added £1.5 billion to the wider economy of Scotland last year and supported nearly 15,000 jobs, according to a new report published today.
The report from consultancy firm Hatch looked at the spend of employees and suppliers of BT Group – which includes EE, BT, Plusnet and Openreach – and the estimated knock-on impact that has on economies across the country.
The report found that BT Group, the UK’s largest telecommunications company which employs more than 7,500 people in Scotland, made a direct contribution to the Scottish economy estimated at £1billion in the last financial year (2021/22).
Through the company’s employees and its supply chain, and their subsequent spending, Hatch estimates the resulting boost to the Scottish economy came to a total of £1.5 billion.
The company’s spending with suppliers based in Scotland came to a total of £190 million. According to the study, BT Group’s combined activities supported a knock-on total of 14,900 jobs across Scotland.
The report highlights BT Group’s presence across Scotland and its current major investment in the rollout of full-fibre broadband and 5G across the country. It also profiles the range of activities by BT Group colleagues across the UK, from the volunteers helping care home residents avoid isolation and loneliness, to the teams protecting customers and the country from cyber threats.
BT Group is also transforming its offices and contact centres across the UK and has already announced plans to open a brand new contact centre on Dundee’s waterfront which will become home to around 1,000 colleagues and is currently carrying out a multi-million pound refurbishment of its Glasgow office which will also house approximately 1,000 colleagues.
It is part of the company’s Better Workplace Programme, one of the largest workplace improvement schemes of its type ever undertaken in the UK. The five-year programme will see the company shift from having around 300 locations in the UK to around 30, with a focus on creating new, modern workspaces.
Philip Jansen, Chief Executive of BT Group, said:“BT Group plays a vital role at the heart of the Scottish economy. We’re one of only a handful of companies that serves customers in every corner of the country.
“We’ve continued our major investment in building next generation full fibre and mobile connectivity rapidly across the UK. We’ve already reached 9.6 million premises with full fibre, and our 5G mobile network now reaches 60% of the UK population. The benefits to families and businesses are huge: new jobs, economic growth and innovation, across every nation and region.
“We’re also transforming BT Group so that we’re fit to power the Scottish economy of the future. Our new state-of-the-art offices, spread across the UK, are a central part of that, bringing colleagues together in brilliant spaces that will enable collaboration and help us to better serve our customers.”
The Group, via its digital network business Openreach, is already delivering ultrafast full-fibre broadband across Scotland while its mobile business EE is a leader on mobile coverage.
EE’s 5G network is across many cities, towns and now expanding to rural communities, while 4G mobile coverage is at 75% of Scotland’s landmass.
The Group has recently announced contract wins with major Scottish companies such as Scottish Power, supporting their global growth, and it provides innovative, secure connectivity solutions over broadband and mobile to the public sector across the country.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Healthy Heart Tip: Avoiding Hidden Sugars
Reducing our intake of sugar can have a beneficial impact on our heart health and reduce our risk of cardiovascular diseases. Consuming some sugar in our diet is perfectly fine, and many healthy foods such as fruit contain naturally occurring sugars.
However, it is the added sugar we need to be cautious of as this is usually what pushes our intake above healthy levels. We all understand that table sugar, soft drinks, sweets, and cakes contain high levels of added sugar and we can choose to eat these in moderation. However, many foods that we may not be aware of can contain high levels of sugar.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt is a great source of calcium and protein, but it can also be full of hidden sugars.
Opt for natural, unsweetened yogurt and avoid flavoured varieties, you can add fruit if you want to add some natural sweetness. It’s also a good idea to choose a live yoghurt, meaning it contains beneficial bacteria that our guts love, look for the word live on the packet.
Condiments & sauces
Ketchup is one of the most popular condiments worldwide. Most of us probably know it’s high in sugar, containing on average one teaspoon of sugar per one tablespoon of sauce.
However, many other shop-bought condiments and sauces we don’t think of as sweet can contain high levels of added sugar. Always check the label when shopping and consider swapping your shop-bought sauces for homemade, added sugar free versions like this veggie-packed tomato sauce.
Fruit juice
Although 100% pressed juice does contain vitamins and minerals, it’s devoid of fibre and very high in sugar.
Swap your fruit juices for eating the whole fruit which contains lots of fibre which also protects the heart. Save the fruit juice for special occasions, as you would other soft drinks, and only drink it alongside a balanced meal.
For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at:
