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?

I remember when I was younger, Ribena light bottles said, not suitable for young children and we were told frequently no diet food to toddlers. This campaign worries me a lot. It feels very lobbyist

no it is NOT 'hoodoo nonsense' it makes my heart race and tastes foul.
Are you saying that my experience is 'nonsense'? How arrogant.
yes it does feel lobbyist drew, you are right.

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx

Oh please.

Mercola is a well known quack! You can't take anything he says seriously.

What does the evidence say about aspartame? A recent published review of all available evidence, including hundreds of studies, concluded:

The studies provide no evidence to support an association between aspartame and cancer in any tissue. The weight of existing evidence is that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a nonnutritive sweetener.

Multiple reviews, going back to 1985, conclude the same thing. Since this latest review there have been more studies, in various countries (how big is this conspiracy?), showing no link between aspartame and brain cancer, and a lack of correlation between artificial sweeteners and gastric, pancreatic, and endometrial cancers.

As I have noted before – you have to interpret a literature, not a single study. The results of one lab or one study can be erroneous. When decades have produced hundreds of studies on a question, the cherry pickers will always have a lot to choose from. That is why systematic reviews are necessary, and it is also necessary to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each type of research. In this case studies in humans have found no cancer risk from aspartame. Animals studies are problematic and have produced mixed results, but no clear evidence of a neoplastic risk.

www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/

You can read some peer reviewed studies there.

I am not saying that it agrees with everyone, it obviously doesn't, but it has been called evil here etc. And sorry, right now, not one single reputable study agrees with you that it is bad for everyone. Sure, don't like it don't use it. But the scare mongering and bad science around it is hysterical.

No ones said it caused cancer at all

Well, someone just posted a link that claims it does trigger certain cancers, so obviously there are people who still buy into the hysteria. And one poster did call it 'evil stuff'

I agree that this change for life campaign is crap. I agree that it doesn't agree with everyone. We don't go around saying tomatoes are dangerous just because it doesn't agree with some people.

I just wish that Change4Life would deliver the message that it's better not to eat processed food. I realise this doesn't meet the NHS's approach that people won't or don't eat like that and so they need to encourage the 'healthiest' alternative, but it's depressing that this means they refuse to even attempt to tell people the most basic thing of all.

It's easy to think that this something people already know, but really, with so much processed crap labelled healthy and diet and 'one in five' etc., it's not remotely obvious.

We eat almost no processed food - not a way of eating that either of us were brought up with, so I know it's not always easy - but it means we don't worry about 'hidden' sugar as we add any sugar ourselves, and hopefully our children are growing up not taking processed stuff for granted. And our food is nicer and more satisfying, and when we do eat junk, it's a deliberate decision! I feel very sad to think that there are parents feeding their children this diet food because they think it's the best thing for their kids, because the NHS has told them so. Also maybe if some of this healthy eating material included information on the cheapest, easiest and quickest to prepare basic ingredients, as I know lots of people are put off the idea of cooking from scratch because they think they just can't do it. I know there are limitations around all this - food deserts, fuel costs etc. - and I am massively sympathetic and not judgey pants at all about people who are stuck in those situations, but it feels like the NHS is offering no support at all.

HiImBarry, interesting to hear your DS' eczema is exacerbated by sweeteners. My DDs psoriasis is too - to the point of bleeding, it gets really bad if she has anything with aspartame.

Objective, unquantifiable as only one family, but still, another one who is affected by the stuff.

She has sugar in moderation and is far from obese.

My point is, it isn't healthy, so has no place is a 'health campaign' just as you wouldn't say 'drink sugary drinks instead of sweetners for your health' because that's not healthy either.

Threesoundslikealot I think that is an excellent plan. Your nominated for the role of food advisor to the NHS.

Tho this year was either better, or I was better prepared that last year. We are still under being able to read properly, so I went for "switch fizzy pop to juice, squash, milk or water" - you already doing this. "switch chocolate to XYZ" - you only eat choc bars as a treat etc

DS1 is also one of the skinny minies, and switching out all that fat and replacing with sweetners wouldn't make my job of buying trousers any easier.

We are so flipping healthy I bought my DC s a big pack of Doritos after school and jokingly told them it's because we need to eat more junk as we are too healthy, so eat up and enjoy. They managed about a quarter of a pack.

Totally agree, no artificial sweeteners or low fat stuff here, we have proper butter too, I'm also size 8!

Everything in moderation, a full fat yogurt (we like the yeovalley ones) is four times as filling.

We do have proper butter and olive spread as I forget to get the butter out of the fridge sometimes!!