Only one in ten British teenagers eats enough vegetables as experts say DENTISTS should log child BMIs at check-ups
- Study found 91% of British teens did not eat at least 200g of vegetables a day
- And less than a third of teenagers ate the equivalent of a small apple each day
- It comes as experts say dentists should check children’s BMIs to tackle obesity
Nine in 10 British teenagers do not eat enough vegetables, a Government-funded study suggests.
Just 10 per cent consumed 200g or more per day out of the NHS’ recommended intake of 400g of fresh fruit and vegetables, or ‘five-a-day’.
The research also found only 30 per cent of youngsters aged between 11 and 15 ate 100g of fruit, the equivalent of a fresh apple a day.
It comes amid a obesity crisis with up to a quarter of English youngsters considered too fat by the time they reach secondary school.
University of Birmingham academics found 73 per cent ate more added sugar than the NHS recommended maximum of 30g, about seven teaspoons, per day.
The British research comes as Danish experts published a separate study saying that dentists should check children’s body mass index (BMI) when they go for check-ups in order to better track and combat childhood obesity.
Both studies were published on the same day the WHO urged health authorities to do more to combat an ‘obesity epidemic’ across Europe.
The UK is currently third in terms of percentage of adults who are obese, behind only Turkey and Malta.
British teenagers are eating too much meat and sugar and far less than the recommended portions of fruit and vegetables a survey has found (stock image)
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on your weight in relation to your height.
Standard Formula:
- BMI = (weight in pounds / (height in inches x height in inches)) x 703
Metric Formula:
- BMI = (weight in kilograms / (height in meters x height in meters))
Measurements:
- Under 18.5: Underweight
- 18.5 – 24.9: Healthy
- 25 – 29.9: Overweight
- 30 or greater: Obese
Scientists surveyed 942 pupils in the West Midlands, asking what they ate and drank in a 24 hour period on two occasions, two to four weeks apart.
Study lead, Dr Ankita Gupta, said: ‘This study suggests adolescents in the West Midlands are consuming diets which are neither healthy nor sustainable.’
Dr Gupta said with childhood obesity being such a problem, more should be done in schools to promote healthy eating in children.
‘Schools are where children spend most of their time, making this a crucial setting for programmes, strategies, and policies that alter the food environment by shaping the choices available and the options they choose,’ she said.
‘We tend to stick to the dietary habits we develop as children.’
The researchers were aiming to assess if children were eating a ‘planetary health diet’ that is both healthy for them and sustainable for the planet.
Such a diet, which is primarily vegetable-based, carries numerous health benefits such as reducing the risk of obesity related cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, according to Dr Gupta.
She also claims it is better for the planet with the reduction in meat consumption using less water and land and producing fewer greenhouse gases.
The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research a body which directs Government-funded health research from the Department of Health.
Danish experts say free public health services like dental check-ups for children could be used to find children at risk of becoming fact by logging BMIs (stock image)
HOW MUCH SUGAR IS TOO MUCH?
The amount of sugar a person should eat in a day depends on how old they are.
Children aged four to six years old should be limited to a maximum of 19g per day.
Seven to 10-year-olds should have no more than 24g, and children aged 11 and over should have 30g or less.
Meanwhile the NHS recommends adults have no more than 30g of free sugars a day.
Popular snacks contain a surprising amount of sugar and even a single can of Coca Cola (35g of sugar) or one Mars bar (33g) contains more than the maximum amount of sugar a child should have over a whole day.
A bowl of Frosties contains 24g of sugar, meaning a 10-year-old who has Frosties for breakfast has probably reached their limit for the day before they even leave the house.
Children who eat too much sugar risk damaging their teeth, putting on fat and becoming overweight, and getting type 2 diabetes which increases the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Source: NHS
It comes as Danish experts said dentists should check children’s BMI’s when they come for check-ups.
Their recommendation was based on a study of 1,000 children that found signs of poor health related to being too fat, like changes in blood fat, are detectable in overweight children as young as six.
Lead author of that study, Dr Christine Frithioff-Bøjsøe of Copenhagen University Hospital, said more must be done to tackle childhood obesity.
‘The early identification and treatment of overweight provides a crucial opportunity to improve a child’s health for years to come,’ she said.
Experts trained dental assistants and public health nurses in Denmark to carry out BMI assessments on children.
A total of 992 children of which 13.7 per cent were overweight were then recruited for additional testing by the researchers.
Those that were overweight were found to have significantly higher levels of markers in their blood indicating they were at risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease.
Dr Frithioff-Bøjsøe said their study, published in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, said logging BMIs at dental appointments could be a good early intervention tool for childhood obesity.
‘This would, in turn, allow weight loss interventions to start early, and reduce the risk of a child with overweight becoming an adult, or even an adolescent, with overweight and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes,’ she said.
As in Denmark, British children are entitled to free NHS dental check-ups from when their first milk teeth appear.
However, there have been growing concerns that a lack of NHS dentists could damage the nation’s oral health.
Yesterday a report warned that millions of people have been left without access to dental care after 2,000 dentists quit the NHS in England last year.
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain
• 30 grams of fibre a day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat cereal biscuits, 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread and large baked potato with the skin on
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks) choosing lower fat and lower sugar options
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consuming in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men a day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
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