Purition helps sugar smart pupils whip up healthy smoothies

Team Purition at Tibberton Primary School

We’ve been busy talking to local school pupils about the dangers of consuming too much sugar and, what fun we had.

We went spent the entire morning on Tuesday at Tibberton CE Primary School here in Shropshire encouraging pupils to be more sugar smart and think carefully about sugar in their diets.

We delivered a fun and interactive talk and even got the youngsters whipping up their own smoothies.

They went down a treat and we too were extremely impressed with how much the children knew about healthy eating.

They had a good grasp of why sugar is bad for them and came up with some great sugar swap ideas for snacks.

What the experts say…

According to experts, children are consuming three times more sugar than they should be and there is general widespread concern about the health of the nation’s children and adults for that matter.

Whilst the soon-to-be introduced sugary drinks tax will go some way to reducing sugar in our diets, here at Purition we believe more needs to be done to tackle the UK’s sugar problem.

Sugar is the real buzzword of today and everyone’s talking about it, from Jamie Oliver to politicians to small business owners like ourselves.

It seems the only people not really talking about it are the huge multinational businesses which could have a real impact.

Making a difference…

As a company, we feel very strongly about sugar and the amount of it that gets poured into our foods.

As a responsible business, if we can help educate and spread awareness among children from a young age about what foods they should avoid then it’s a step closer to helping them develop lifelong healthy eating habits.

It’s also about encouraging our children to make informed choices. If they don’t know what’s in their food then how do they know if it’s good or bad for them!

We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity this week to try and make just a little bit of difference and we would like to say a huge thank you to all the teachers and pupils at Tibberton Primary for their enthusiasm.

For any parents looking to reduce the amount of sugar in their child’s diet then the following information might be useful.

Daily recommended guidelines for sugar intake:

4-6 year olds – 5 cubes
7-10 year olds – 6 cubes
11 plus years – 7 cubes

As a nation we probably consume most sugar at breakfast, snack time and when we have a drink. In fact, according to experts, 30% of the sugar consumed by children is through drinking sweet drinks.

So, to help cut down, try swapping sugar-loaded foods for healthier choices.

Breakfast…

Opt for low sugar cereal such as porridge oats, shredded wheat, Weetabix or have wholemeal toast or plain yoghurt. To make these more exciting it’s easy to add things like fresh fruit – raspberries, strawberries, bananas etc.

Purition shakes are also a great breakfast alternative and with no added nasties or anything artificial they are safe for children to drink.

Snacks…

It’s all too tempting to eat a cake or chocolate bar after school or a busy day at work but more often than not these items are loaded with sugar. In fact a small slice of cake can contain to 4 teaspoons of sugar and a chocolate bar at least 6. That’s the equivalent of a 7-10 year old eating his or her’s daily sugar allowance in one go.

Cakes and chocolate can be substituted for more healthier snacks such as fruit with yoghurt dip, pitta bread squares and cucumber, cheese, a slice of wholemeal toast, bagel, dried fruit and nuts.

You can also use Purition protein powder to make healthy pancakes or on the go protein balls which will keep your child fuller for longer. See our recipes here.

Puddings…

Who doesn’t like a blob of ice cream or a big chocolate mousse for pudding but unfortunately again, this is where a lot of the sugar is hiding. You might be surprised to learn that a corner pot yoghurt contains around 5 teaspoons of sugar. We all like them but opting for something less sugary is wise.

Why not try plain yoghurt instead and add your own fruit? Homemade puddings are also a good way to regulate sugar as you can substitute caster sugar for things like bananas or even a small bit of honey.

Drinks…

The dreaded drinks – fizzy pop, juices and even some smoothies are loaded with sugar. We probably don’t need to tell you that a can of coke contains 9 teaspoons of sugar.

So swap the drinks for water, milk or homemade smoothies which are an instant winner with the kids!

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