PARENTS must show “tough love” to stop children gorging on fizzy drinks and junk food as if it was Christmas every day, the head of the NHS said last Tuesday.
NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children do not become obese
Mr Stevens said: “As parents, now is the time of year to think about what we want for our children in the year ahead. With figures showing that nine in ten of us can’t recognise when our children are obese, we’re going to need a bit more ‘tough love’ so that every day of the year isn’t a Christmas-like splurge on supersized fizzy drinks and junk food.”
Britain faces a health timebomb, with overweight and obese people more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Sugar-laden pop has been blamed for soaring levels of obesity among youngsters, with a third of 10 to 11-year-olds and more than a fifth of children aged four and five now overweight.
The Obesity Health Alliance said the drinks are currently the largest source of sugar for children.
