As the UK’s obesity problem continues to grow, it seems the Conservative Party will soon be calling for portion control, and calorie reduction, if Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt gets his way.
According to a report in The Times, Hunt told a private meeting of more than 100 food companies that restaurants, cafes and pubs will be ‘named and shamed’ unless they make food portions smaller or less sweet.
“Chains such as Pizza Express, Starbucks, McDonald’s and Gourmet Burger Kitchen have been told to ‘step up’ by cutting sugar from food and reducing the size of desserts, cakes and croissants. Calorie-reduction targets for fatty, savoury foods will also be set,” The Times reported.
According to Public Health England (PHE), data on being overweight and obesity among adults for 2014 showed that 61.7% of adults were overweight or obese (65.3% of men and 58.1% of women).
The UK has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, ahead of countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Sweden, says the NHS adding that obesity levels in the UK have more than trebled in the last 30 years and, on current estimates, more than half the population could be obese by 2050.
The Times said Hunt had added that that ‘going out to eat is no longer a treat’ because it is so common and that takeaways and sandwich shops would therefore be expected to take the same action as supermarkets and food manufacturers in tackling Britain’s obesity problem.
Public Health England told the meeting that cereals, confectionary, yoghurts, ice cream, sweet spreads and jams, cakes, biscuits and breakfast foods such as croissants must all become less sweet or smaller.
While cutting portion sizes might be effective, many diets are not as they are ‘fads’ and do not offer long-term or lasting results. However, clinical hypnotherapy for people wishing to manage their weight and what they eat has a proven track record of success.
“When you see a hypnotherapist for weight loss they will ask you lots of questions about when you eat, what you eat, what triggers you to reach for food when you are not hungry, or how often you unconsciously polish off a packet of biscuits and avoid doing exercise,” says the NCH.
Hypnotherapists will then, adds the NCH, put together a programme of treatment that will motivate the client to exercise more and eat less.
“Hypnotherapy for weight loss is about changing your habit with food for the rest of your life,” says the NCH.
“So, unlike crash diets, it changes the root of your compulsive eating or lack of interest in exercise so you are free to enjoy the rest of your life – eating and exercising sensibly without having to think about it.”
If you think your weight management is out of control and needs fine-tuning, contact an NCH-registered hypnotherapist near you by clicking here and eliminate that worry about calorie intake or portion size. It will be worth it.