We are glad to be working with the Sheffield is Sweet Enough project, working with our community to help people learn more about sugar – how and why to reduce it in their own diets, and in the diets of their families.
Sugar is becoming a real problem in Sheffield and we want to help the community get on top of this problem and reduce our sugar intake. A few facts and figures about why sugar is an issue in our city:
- 65% of adults in Sheffield are overweight or obese (304,953 people).
- In 2015/16 almost 1 in 4 children were overweight or obese when they started school.
- In 2015/16, 1 in 3 of 10-11 year olds were overweight or obese. With children in deprived communities being twice as likely to be overweight or obese.
- The most deprived communities in Sheffield are eating the least healthily.
The aim of the Sheffield is Sweet Enough campaign is to help everyone in Sheffield to eat as well as possible, and to have healthy weight and diet across our population. To help with that, the DWB team are giving out information leaflets and talking to people about sugar at our group and one to one sessions in Darnall and Tinsley. Sheffield is Sweet Enough have put together posters to alert people to some of the issues with too much sugar, and where it may be hidden.
Sheffield Is Sweet Enough have also developed a dedicated campaign website – www.sheffieldissweetenough.org – which contains lots of useful information and guidance, such as:
- How much sugar is too much?
- Impacts of eating too much sugar across different age ranges
- Information on hidden sugars
- Family friendly sugar swap ideas and recipes
- Downloadable materials
And they have this helpful leaflet, to give the lowdown on sugar, how much is too much, and how we can help our children to eat less of it.
We have plenty of these to give out – you can download it here, or contact us for a paper copy:
There’s also this brilliant Feed Your Family For Less booklet, packed with helpful tips and recipes to make it easier and cheaper to feed your family healthy meals. You can download it below:
There are also hints and tips about making healthy food swaps from the NHS on their website here.
We’d love to hear from anyone in our community who has made some healthy swaps after learning about these issues with sugar. Please contact us if you’d like to share anything you’ve learned or changed!