Dame Sally Davies, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer has been increasingly vocal about the subject of obesity.  Her comments yesterday certainly made the headlines again yesterday.

Her annual report on the state of health in the UK was published yesterday with the fashion industry coming in for strong criticism.  Indeed the biggest headline grabber, was the use of large mannequins in shops which Dame Sally claims are “normalising” being overweight and making increasing numbers of people feel that obesity is acceptable

Dame Sally said: “I have long been concerned that being underweight is often portrayed as the ideal weight, particularly in the fashion industry. Yet I am increasingly concerned that society may be normalising being overweight.”

Nearly two thirds of adults and a third of children are overweight or obese – classed as a body mass index of above 25. This is about double the numbers in the early 1990s.

But research shows that half of men, a third of women and over three quarters of parents do not recognise weight problems.

The report also reaffirms the CMO’s previous views on added sugar in drinks and alcohol minimum pricing.

The report highlights the fact that in children aged 11-18, almost a third of the added sugar in their average diet comes from soft drinks. The CMO called on manufacturers to reformulate and resize products to use less sugar where possible.

Healthy Performance can provide specific workshops on nutrition and diet highlighting good/bad foods to eat, plus foods that will help with energy/concentration and performance. Our team can also be on site answering questions about individual nutritional requirements.