Milk Moustaches In, Fizzy Stained Tongues Out

Thursday 5 July 2007 "Quality and Humanity in Health"

Milk Moustaches In....Fizzy Drink Stained Tongues Out

Teenage boys consuming 14.7kg sugar a year from drinks alone

Families in Southland are being encouraged to drink water and milk instead of sugary drinks, in the latest message from the healthy eating campaign “Feeding our Futures”.

SDHB’s Healthy Eating Healthy Action Coordinator Melanie McKenzie says that there is extensive evidence that water and milk are the best options for families to be drinking as part of a healthy diet and that sugary drinks contribute to weight gain in children.

“For a teenage boy aged 12 years, 28% of their total sugar consumed comes from drinks such as fizzy drinks, cordials, orange juice etc.

“That’s 14.7kg of sugar a year from drinks alone.”

“Cutting out, or at least cutting down, sugary drinks is a key step towards a healthier future,” Mrs McKenzie said.

Mrs McKenzie says that water and milk are a better choice for the whole family.

“Water is freely available on tap, has no added sugar and is great for quenching thirst. Milk helps build strong bones and teeth and is high in nutrients.”

After two years of age children can drink reduced-fat milk. Mrs McKenzie said that non-flavoured milk is best as it has no added sugar

The healthy eating campaign, being run by the Health Sponsorship Council, also promotes families to eat their meals around the table and involve children in the preparation of meals.

Mrs McKenzie said the Feeding our Futures campaign was just one example of a number of initiatives encouraging healthy eating and physical activity in the Southland region.

Obesity can lead to many chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, gallstones and some cancers.

There are approximately 11,000 deaths each year in New Zealand which can be attributed to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity – this is twice the annual road death toll.

Obesity is estimated to cost New Zealand around $303 million every year.

“With statistics like these, adults would also benefit from heeding the advice of the HSC,” said Mrs McKenzie.

The Feeding our Futures programme was launched in May 2007 and began by giving parents and caregivers information about accessible, affordable and easy ways that they can provide healthy diets for children. The programme is part of the Ministry of Health’s Healthy Eating, Healthy Action: Oranga Kai Oranga Pumau (HEHA) strategy to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and reduce obesity.

ENDS

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