What should the government do to reduce obesity at the societal level?

[waistchallenge]

We're the fattest country in Europe and the upshot is what you see here: people posting threads in desperation about their weight loss struggles. I think we can probably all agree it would be easier to never have gotten overweight in the first place and to never have had to go through these weight loss efforts and experiences.

Apart from the sugar tax, I cannot see that the government has done much, if anything, to reduce obesity in this country; it's higher than ever.

I'm asking here because we all have experience of this to be on here, what-if anything- should the government do to reduce obesity in this country? What would have helped you? Or is it all just ultimately a question of personal responsibility?

High tax on UPF, junk and fast food, and use this to make proper, healthy food cheaper. Proper food education in school. Better walking and cycling provision, and pay per mile tax for car use. Better public transport. Higher priced alcohol. Health warnings like those in cigarettes.

I hate that our culture is so geared towards offering sweet treats at every opportunity. Its someone's birthday. Bring in cakes. Someone did something kind. Buy them a beer. I'm not saying people don't mean to be kind but maybe say thanks and do something kind back in future. We don't have to show appreciation through sweet treats. It's got excessive!

Yes, funnily enough I manage to eat like that as well. So no need for the healthy eating lecture, thanks.

I think we may both have been reacting to the cottage cheese in different ways.

Added feta and beetroot to my shop next week.
feta as it’s tastier and a £1.

Feta is better!

Loads of healthy eating messages become muddled by MSM. There should be a body that teaches about nutrition where you can look up healthy recipes.

There's bbc good food but 50% of their recipes are based on a tin of chopped tomatoes and diced onions and cumin seeds.

Stop treating us like idiots bbc and the government. Give me some decent recipes. No one likes Brussel sprouts but they're healthy. BBC should make a decent recipie that's not like bacon and Brussels sprouts. So original. NOT!

I do occasionally buy a small tub of cottage cheese but usually regret it. Feta much more tasty and versatile. And it never gets wasted. And I do my best to avoid food waste.

But I will confess to a dairylea habit.

I don't particularly like cottage cheese either, but I thought you meant it was depressing to keep half opened bags of foods, so maybe a misunderstanding.

The government should:
Provide better school lunches, on proper plates, with knives and forks, in a space to sit down
Provide more school sport
Introduce the daily mile in schools
Provide better play areas
Encourage outdoor play
Improve cookery lessons in schools
Provide better access to affordable swimming pools, gyms and sports pitches
More parks and green spaces
More cycle lanes
Improved pedestrian infrastructure
Better public transport
Education campaign about UPFs
Better mental health support
Encourage breastfeeding
Encourage allotments
Incentivise manufacturers to go back to producing smaller dinner plates

Eh? There are a ton of recipes on the BBC good food guide that are really good! I've used lots of them.

Do you really think it's the governments job to provide you with recipes? - that's so funny...

High tax on UPF, junk and fast food, and use this to make proper, healthy food cheaper. Proper food education in school. Better walking and cycling provision, and pay per mile tax for car use. Better public transport. Higher priced alcohol.

Alcohol in the UK is already very highly taxed, much more expensive than in many eu counties. The occasional glass of red wine is not unhealthy either. So I'm not sure that's a good idea.

It has to become socially unacceptable to be fat…like drink driving.

veg etc has to be available in shops in all areas.

people have to be not so knackered after work that they can’t cook,

better public transport and bike lanes.

healthy school meals

I think free school meals are great in theory but the reality is the government pays a fortune to a 'provider' that serves up the most unhealthy meals. Bread containing e numbers and triglycerides and diglycerides is not really suitable for anyone. Especially when it's covered in jam and Nutella. It's like the state is actively trying to give my child diabetes.

It shouldn't be hard to get some real eggs, boil them, offer some fresh fish, fruit and vegetables and natural yogurts but that's too hard for professional food catering firms that tender for these contracts. Let's crack open the milk and cereal that costs 55p a serving and that anyone can serve up. It's convenient and easy for them but I think they should be made to put a bit more effort in.

Ban deliveroo and the like.
Stop letting fast food outlets open
Tax fast food

Invest in cycling...proper joined up cycle lanes.

Bring back school cooks. I loved my school dinners of the 80s.

Well it doesn't have to be the government but a least there should be an independent nutritional body based on the latest research and science with suitable recipies that you can find. At the moment you search online and it's all down to what you fancy that night rather than ensuring a good coverage of all the nutrition like fats,carbs, vitamins, gut health etc. Also the bbc good food isn't geared up for providing recipes for those with certain illnesses. It would people waiting ages for a dietician on the NHS

@Monkeyrules I like Brussels sprouts.

How hard are the following:

4 salmon steaks, foiled in the oven for 25 minutes; boiled new potatoes, green beans, fresh peas, a little benecol, black pepper and lemon juice?

4 small chicken breasts, laid on sliced potatoes, a little stock, garlic, salt and pepper, serve with roasted tomatoes and spinach?

4 smoked haddock fillets, on a bed of spinach, topped with poached eggs sprinkled with cheddar and grill blasted?

Turkey Mince spag bol

Ratatouille with beans.

Chicken marinaded in cubes with Yoghurt, lemon, garlic, seasoning. Thread on a skewer with pepper, onion and mushroom, serve with Greek salad and brown spiced rice.

Roast chicken, salad and New potatoes

Sea Bass lightly fried in a tiny bit of olive oil, served on roasted veg with new potatoes, or sliced potatoes cooked in the oven.

It isn't hard at all.

UPFs and alcohol are really insidious. I've largely (not entirely, not by any means) cut them out of my diet and just that is causing me to lose weight. It's very slow (half a pound a week slow) but what I've really noticed that when I do eat junk, I just want to eat more junk, and I don't feel full the way I do after a banana or a piece of cheese.

When I was kid, UPFs were unusual, and though we got sugar in things like jam, sweets were much more a weekend thing. We ate lots more saturated fat (dripping, eggs fried in bacon grease, suet dumplings) but kids were routinely booted out of the house between the end of school and the evening meal, so we burned it all off. It was normal to be a bit on the skinny side.

I cook from scratch but I recognise my privilege. All the meals above rely on buying fresh ingredients and having a meal plan to use them up. Fish in particular doesn’t have a long date on it. I think a big part of eating healthily is having the time and mental head space to shop and meal plan. The local shop people pop to doesn’t have the healthier foods or is much more expensive.

You’re ignoring the fact that children have no autonomy over what they eat.

@Springingtosprimg with all due respect, I work about 50hpw, shop weekly at the supermarket and fish can go into the freezer, taken out the night before to defrost in the fridge. I spend about 1 hour in the supermarket.

If people can navigate delivered and other on-line takeaways, they can make a shopping list and plan ahead.

Parents can choose decent food on their behalf

@RosesAndHellebores like I said, you need to have the mental head space to do those things. Some people might not know when they will be eating at home as opposed to working late. They might have caring responsibilities or other stresses. I think if you are able to meal plan, shop and cook from scratch that is a privilege you should be grateful for. As opposed to judging those who can’t do this all the time.

I know that I am responsible for my weight - I’m not saying I’m not. But it is clear that there is a widespread obesity problem in the UK, and I don’t think it is going to work, to expect it to be tackled on the individual level, which is why I agree with the posters who think that we need to tackle this on a national level - which means a governmental level.

To be frank, if this was going to be solved on a personal level, it would have been solved by now. The obesity crisis is not news - we have seen it coming for ages - but things haven’t improved - they’ve got worse.