Obesity and bad eating habits are continually in the news in the UK with sugar being the latest ‘culprit’ to be vilified as scientists advise the government to halve the recommended daily intake. 
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), which advises Public Health England and other government agencies on nutrition, wants the recommended daily intake of sugar to be halved to reduce obesity risk and improve dental health, says the BBC.
Professor Ian Macdonald, who chaired the working group of the committee, told the BBC that the evidence was ‘too stark’.
He said: “Too much sugar is harmful to health and we all need to cut back. The clear and consistent link between a high-sugar diet and conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes is the wake-up call we need to rethink our diet.
“Cut down on sugars, increase fibre and we’ll all have a better chance of living longer, healthier lives.”
Adam Brimelow, the BBC’s health correspondent, said it is easier setting out what people should aspire to eat, than making it happen.
“Achieving the expected threshold for added sugar – no more than 5% of calories consumed – will be a challenge for government, industry and the public.”
At the moment, the average intake in all age groups is at least twice this limit. The main sources of sugar in the diet are sweetened drinks and cereal, confectionery, fruit juice, and sugar added at the table. A single can of fizzy drink contains about nine teaspoons of sugar.
But Ian Wright, Director General of the Food and Drink Federation, claimed the ‘obsession’ with a single ingredient was the wrong way to go about it.
He said: “This is unhelpful to consumers trying to achieve balanced healthier diets, and to food and drink companies wanting to help customers towards all dietary recommendations.”
Controlling what foods are eaten goes along way towards a healthy diet and a healthier lifestyle and this can be achieved through hypnotherapy where weight management is a success story.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) is the UK’s leading not-for-profit professional association for hypnotherapy with around 2000 registered and fully-trained therapists on its nationwide directory.
Managing weight depends a lot on when you eat, what you eat, and what triggers you to reach for food even when you are not hungry, or how often you unconsciously polish off a packet of biscuits, for instance.
Quite simply, what the therapist will do – by working with the subconscious mind – is change your eating habits. This change will be for the rest of your life.
Unlike crash diets which seek to eliminate certain food types in an effort to obtain a ‘quick fix’, hypnotherapy changes the root of your eating habits.
The hypnotherapist will design a programme of treatment that will meet your eating needs and motivate you to succeed in this. You will be free to enjoy what you eat and control what you eat without having to think about it.