The change for life reduce sugar campaign is irritating me

[Hurr1cane]

Fair enough change sugary cereals for less sugary ones like porridge, but it depends what type of porridge clearly.

Fair enough change chocolate bars for rice cakes... But again... It depends what type, some are full of salt and sugar.

But change cordial for sugar free cordial? Really? I make an effort to make sure I only buy cordial with sugar in and not asphartemine, horrible stuff that sends DS completely high. But to be honest I'd much rather replace with watered down fruit juice or even just water, the cordial is only used for a treat or when he's poorly and I need to get fluids down him, but I never ever use sugar free.

It just seems like pointless, vague, bad advice, and yes all children in DSs school were given the full packs.

I'm probably being unreasonable because of how badly DS reacts to that particular sweetner, but the pharmacist tells me that isn't a rare thing at all, and the sweetner is in all the calpol type medicines instead of sugar, which means DS is either poorly and having seizures, or completely high and giving himself seizures, so the advice for sugar free cordial really pissed me off.

I am being aren't I?

YANBU. I have, unfortunately, developed a taste for 'diet' drinks with artificial sweeteners in, but I know they are terrible. I don't know how people think they're healthier, they're just as bad. I'd rather kids had the sugary ones, in moderation, than just replaced them with the diet ones and drank the same amount. Plus, if it's drinks like coca-cola/diet coke, there's the caffeine to consider too.

And yes to the porridge thing - it's great to have a bowl of porridge instead of sugary cereal, but not if you then add tons of sugar/jam/honey to the porridge to make it edible for kids!

The trouble is, Jelly, that sugar free/diet drinks actually contribute to the obesity problem due to what has been said above about producing fake sugar highs and cravings which cause people to want more of them, and end up eating/drinking more. Vicious circle, unfortunately.

I don't worry about aspartame at all, which is great considering my peps i max addiction! I have read nothing that has convinced me it is that bad. Sure, some people react badly to it but I have yet to read a convincing study about the evilness of it or that it causes cancer. Although it seems very very addictive, I know I am addicted to pepsi max.

Oh, I don't practice what I preach either. I have diet fizzy pop and eat crap, but in my defence (I don't care about me) I'm vegetarian so can't eat most of the meals I cook for DS. But I do make an effort to make sure he's healthy, and by doing that I don't load him with sweetners and crap.

Except crisps, he's addicted to crisps, which my lovely stepmum has found to be the only criticism of my feeding of DS but that's a sensory thing apparently, and I buy the baby reduced salt ones anyway.

you buy crisps for your baby?....ok

He's almost 9....

Hurr1cane buys baby crisps for her school-aged son.

I've also been told it's all about 'realistic, achievable' changes, but it would be helpful if these campaigns spelt out the potential disadvantages of their 'healthy' alternatives at some point.

oh LOL baby crisps I get it....

I meant the crisps you can buy in the baby section, with the formula, that have reduced salt in them. I think the misunderstanding was my fault.

I see what you mean about realistic goals. But yeah it would be better to target parents with children at weaning age and just say water is better, or watered down fruit juice at the most. Or being completely coherent and showing the pros and cons of everything.

Spent 8 months in hospital when DD1, then age 8, had cancer. All sugar-free crap full of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners and 'fat-free'/baked crap full of artificial crap. Artificial crap, in kids with cancer. Way to go!

Aspartame makes DS's ASD and ADHD ping off into the stratosphere.

Also I think affordable sports clubs are more needed than sugar free shit.

I'm 'lucky' in that because DS is disabled, his sports clubs are heavily subsidised by charities so £2 an hour is affordable for all. But I haven't seen many affordable clubs for NT and physically able children.

I hate those adverts - bloody condescending with their silly "Morph" animations and their dire warnings to children about cancer and heart disease.

Bastards can fuck off.

'I hate those adverts - bloody condescending with their silly "Morph" animations and their dire warnings to children about cancer and heart disease.'

They beyond fuck me off and I have complained formally about them. DD1 died of cancer, a rare form of leukaemia - duh! - not connected to lifestyle.

DD2 has a number of issues as fallout from her elder sister's death, including eating issues and struggles with eating/underweight.

This type of advertising is fucking irresponsible and dangerous.

Those adverts drive me nuts ... I can take on board that it's acknowledging that going from wall-to-wall Coke to water is a big step, but couldn't it do that without the very strong implication that artificial sweeteners are a genuinely healthy choice?

Glad I'm not the only one. I was shouting at the TV yesterday when they were explaining you should exchange sugar for aspartame. Artificial sweeteners send DD nuts.

She is almost 8 and we've only just started letting her have lemonade - in moderation. She knows she isn't allowed coca-cola. ever Until she was 3 she only had water, then grandma helpfully started giving her milk, but we've tried to keep off the "kids drinks".

Thankfully (wrt SW), I dont eat much in the way of sweet stuff so ive not needed to swap to their "treats" - I hate Muller lights but have had the odd one if ive no time for breakfast.

I syn my "treats" and just have less of them.

I do like Coke Life, but it is aspartame free.

I have to be careful with what DD2 and DS see and had to write a letter to the school that I do not want them to have any 'teaching' about 'healthy eating' (because this education is stupid shite like swapping sugar for aspartame, fat is the work of the Devil and other outdated and ill-advised crap) because a) DD2 is very underweight b) DS cannot have artificial sweeteners.

I had this exact rant with my dp when I saw those adverts on.

Aspartame is evil stuff!

My DCs dont get it and I do frown upon parents who think 'sugar free squash' is akin to them eating an orange

We have to find a way of weaning children (and adults) off the sweet taste. Sweetners are like methadone they mask the problem rather than curing the addiction.

I think everyone should eat natural, wholesome unadulterated food, including fats, sugars, brown bread,red meats, all sorts, but in moderation. There's absolutely nothing wrong with full fat milk, butter, cheese and eggs. But you're not supposed to pig out in excess. A wide-ranging diet with as few additives as possible and sensible portions suitable for age and activity is the best way.
I also think a 'sweet tooth' can be learned behaviour, until sugar-craving takes over.
Heaven knows what all these chemicals do to us, especially to growing children. And to frighten them with dire warnings about sugar etc could make them anorexic or aspartane addicts.

But I do insist on my crumpets. Dripping with butter.

I know some people who would benefit from switching to diet drinks and consuming those in moderation, rather than the 3 litres of regular coke they consume between two adults and two children under three each day. Diet drinks and moderation would probably do them the world of good! although I think thats mainly who the campaign is aimed towards, they exist on purely full sugar soft drinks and convince foods, with minimal cooking and a serious lack of vegetables because the adults don't eat vegetables so they don't prepare them for the children.

For 'regular' people who can manage to cook simple meals and things like that, and can wrap their head around the concept of moderation, the campaign is madness! I would much rather enjoy a few cans of coke or coke life throughout the week rather than switch and fill my body full of chemicals! As many have said, its much better to just have some sugar or sugar from natural, unprocessed items than it is for us to replace them all with chemicals! The idea of quitting sugar entirely is a good one, provided its not just replaced with chemical alternatives. Personally, I'd just prefer to practice moderation and enjoy the few sugary things I do like on occasion.

Hate the radio advert - the one with the woman with the Northern accent. So condescending - use of the word we and "try fruit". You don't say. I shout oh fuck off whenever it comes on in the car.
As someone said earlier, look at who their partners are. It's s pile of shit.
We're another household who have full fat milk, butter, etc. if I want ice cream I'm eating the best ice cream I can get not some fat free sugar fest alternative. A little goes a long way with "real" food. Factory food always leaves you wanting more!

YANBU.

Personally I can't stand extremes of anything being forced on by the powers that be, but why anyone would choose gallons of chemicals over smaller quantities of 'proper' food is a mystery to me.

Another hater here.

Instead of chocolate, try fruit? Have these people ever had PMT???

Add me to the list of haters too.

I can't stand artificial sugar and the moment I put it in my mouth (mistakenly) I can taste it. I think it has a incredibly bitter flavour. I do not understand why any finds it sweet.

Frankly my children gets fizzy drinks and they get juice. They also drink LOTS of water and (some - not much as they never cared much for it) milk. we rarely have squash but it happens. Again they get to drink it and once its gone it is gone.

I teach them to cook with butter and oil not any substitutes. However I also teach them that each meal needs to be balanced and that we need to have more of certain food groups. Result is 4 children who all have a healthy appetite and a wide range of foods they will eat.

DS gets hyper if he gets artificial sugars . It took us ages to work out what it was, as it is so rare he gets them however once I suspected I did a few experiments. within 10 mins of eating/drinking he is high as a kite. It is deeply unpleasant to watch and frankly doesnt happen if he has a sugary drink.