Forcing children to finish meals could be fuelling obesity crisis
The IndependentThe best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Large food portions for children may be fuelling Britain’s obesity crisis, with more than a third of parents making youngsters always finish their meals, nutritionists have warned. open image in gallery Large food portions for children may be fuelling Britain’s obesity crisis When thinking about how much their children should eat, 51% of parents said they judged portion sizes based on how much their youngsters usually eat, while 16% let their children serve their own portions. “Research has shown that large portions of food encourage both adults and children to eat more, so getting portion sizes right is an important element of having a balanced diet that supports a healthy body weight.” When it comes to snacking, 88% of parents said their children have snacks between meals at least once a week, of whom 38% have snacks every day. Ms Benelam said: “As a rule, children need portion sizes that reflect their body size and calorie requirements, so we’re encouraging parents to check the portion sizes they are serving to their children.
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