Get ready for Fizz Free February

Croydon residents are being encouraged to look after their health by taking up the challenge to ditch sugary fizzy drinks throughout February.

The Fizz Free February campaign aims to get people to reduce their daily sugar intake by drinking less sugary drinks, or cutting them out completely for 28 days.

The call to action comes as part of Croydon Council’s SUGAR SMART initiative, which works with communities, businesses and schools to raise awareness of the health risks of having too much sugar. The initiative also helps to tackle obesity levels in children and adults by making more people aware of the hidden sugars in their food and drinks.

There are resources on the council’s website www.croydon.gov.uk/gofizzfree to get people started on their fizz free journey and monitor how well they are doing. This includes making a pledge and setting realistic goals to reduce your sugar intake.

Simple food swaps can make it easier to cut down on sugar like changing fizzy drinks to water, opting for lower fat milks or choosing sugar-free or no added sugary drinks.

Currently young people in England consume almost three times the recommended amount of sugar. Fizzy drinks are the largest single source of sugar for children aged 11-18, on average they provide nearly one-third (29%) of their daily sugar intake.

Excess sugar can lead to unhealthy fat developing in your body and weight gain. This increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, some cancers, and tooth decay – which is the leading cause for hospitalisation among 5-9 year olds in the UK.

Watch Councillor Jane Avis’s video message asking residents to take up the Fizz Free February challenge.

“Cutting out fizzy drinks is an easy way to reduce your sugar intake. It is also good for your pocket as you could save £438 annually if you stopped drinking a daily bottle of soft drink. It is a real concern that 79% of fizzy drinks contain six or more teaspoons of sugar per can.  Making a commitment to go fizz free for February will help you to develop new, healthier habits. It will also make it easier for you to cut down on fizzy drinks for the rest of the year.”

Councillor Jane Avis, cabinet member for families, health and social care

Notes

Fizz Free February was first started by Southwark Council in 2018 and it is now part of the national SUGAR SMART UK campaign to get more people to take part across the country.

2019-02-01T12:49:30+00:00 February 1st, 2019|Recent news|