Primary school pupils take part in healthy snack swap

Children at a primary school in Ipswich have been swapping their sugary treats with healthier snacks as part of a new awareness drive which will help them to reduce their sugar intake.

Some of our staff members visited St Helen’s School on Woodbridge Road in Ipswich on Thursday 8^th January and gave out healthy fruit snacks to pupils in exchange for treats such as chocolate bars, crisps and sweets. We are supporting the latest national Change4Life campaign, ‘Sugar Swaps’, which is encouraging families to make simple changes to their diet to reduce the amount of sugar they are eating.

Ali Clements is the School and Young People’s Projects Co-ordinator at Live Well Suffolk. She said: “It’s surprising how much sugar children are consuming throughout the day without even realising it – there are hidden sugars in all sorts of foods and drinks, from breakfast cereals to mid-morning snacks and even fruit juices.

“Popular mid-morning snacks for children are cereal bars, pastries, biscuits and cake, but these foods all have very high sugar content. Instead, try chopping up fruit chunks for children to enjoy with yoghurt or for a savoury alternative, vegetable sticks with a low-fat dip. Rice cakes, wraps or pitta breads with a low fat soft cheese or other savoury fillings also make a healthier snack.”

A diet that’s high in sugar can have a serious impact on a family’s health, particularly for children and young people. The extra calories that come from too much sugar can cause fat to build up and children who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop serious health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Angela Rowe, is the Lead for PHSE at St Helen’s School. She said: “We have just started the St Helen’s Healthy Eating and Exercise Programme which is working to improve a wide range of aspects relating to children’s wellbeing. The snack swap is just one part of that and the children love getting involved with things like this, especially as a New Year challenge. At St Helens we are always keen to get involved with projects which add to the great work of the school and we are really pleased to be working with Live Well Suffolk this year.”

We run a free weight management programme for young people and children and work with them and their families to help them understand more about healthy diets and introduce more physical activity into their daily routines. For more information, call 01473 229292 or visit www.livewellsuffolk.org.uk.

Families can sign up to receive a free Sugar Swaps pack from Change4Life which is filled with hints, tips and recipes suggestions to help parents reduce their children’s sugar consumption. Visit https://sugarswaps.change4life.co.uk/ to register for your free pack today.