Without realising it, we are all eating too much sugar, saturated fat and salt.
There are surprising amounts of sugar, saturated fat and salt in everyday food and drinks we give to our kids.
Research shows that sugar-sweetened soft drinks, fruit juices, confectionery, biscuits, breakfast cereals, buns, cakes and pastries are some of the biggest contributors to children’s sugar, saturated fat and salt intake.
Eating and drinking too much sugar is bad for our health. Children consume nearly three times more sugar than the recommended maximum daily amount.
Over time, eating too much sugar and saturated fat can lead to the build-up of harmful fat. This fat around their vital organs can cause serious diseases in the future, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes or even some cancer. Too much salt can raise our blood pressure putting us at risk of heart disease or stroke.
A new “Be Food Smart” app has been developed to help parents see just how much sugar, saturated fat and salt can be found in everyday food and drink that their children consume.
The free app works by scanning the barcode of products, revealing how much sugar, saturated fat and salt is inside and encourages users to make healthier choices.
The Be Food Smart app has something for everyone, like tips and suggestions for adults, new food detective activities for the kids and fun ‘mini-missions’ for the whole family.
Download the free Change4Life Be Food Smart app to find out how much total sugar, saturated fat and salt is in everyday food and drinks.
The Be Food Smart app is available as a free download from the iTunes Store or Google Play. Search ‘Change4Life’ for lots more free support, tips, ideas and recipes or visit the Change 4 Life website.