Happy New Year! I hope you and your family are off to a wonderful start to the new year. I took some time off from the blog to really enjoy the holidays with my children. It was definitely time well spent! Now it’s time to get back to work. Today, I am sharing with you an update on what is going on with the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution. Energy drink makers you are officially on notice!
First, a little background for you. I am thrilled to be part of the global food community that is the Global Volunteer Ambassador Program. I have been digging in and learning as much as I can about food around the world since becoming a Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Ambassador. It is amazing to find out how much we have in common with folks around the world. Sure, there are a lot of differences, but we are more alike than different. One thing that we hear over and over and around the world is that we need to keep cooking skills alive as a way to combat diet related diseases. That is why I put my love for this movement into action. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution TV program quite literally changed my life. I decided while watching the first episode with tears in my eyes that I needed to change the way my family was eating. I knew that a diet of fast food and processed food was not the best way to nourish the bodies of the people that I love the most in this world. By the last episode, I had decided that I also needed to join the revolution and help as many families as I could. Juggling Real Food and Real Life was born out of that desire.
In 2018, I am committing to sharing all the latest stories on the food issues that matter. I encourage you to stay informed and join the conversation. Food is changing for the better. I see it each time I go to the grocery store. I am excited to be a part of that change.
Last week, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution launched their Energy Drinks campaign in the UK. The campaign calls for age restrictions on the sale of energy drinks to children. Do you know that the average energy drink contains 12 teaspoons of sugar and the equivalent of 2.5 shots of espresso? (source: https://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/energy-drinks-are-not-for-children/) That is more sugar than children should consume in an entire day.
The real problem as I see it comes in when young folks are drinking these fizzy drinks like water. They drink several a day from morning till night. Do you really want your child drinking 12 cups of coffee per day? That’s what they are drinking when they drink a liter of “fizzy and fun” energy drinks.
Did you know that almost every energy drink can says “not recommended for children”. That’s interesting because the marketing messages that my children see and hear tell them that these drinks will improve their energy, mental, and sport performance. Sadly, most teachers will tell you that the opposite is true. Many teachers can share horror stories of teaching children “under the influence” of energy drinks. And let’s not forget that regularly drinking caffeinated, sugary drinks can also cause diet-related disease and tooth decay .As Jamie says, it’s time for government to act, so we are calling for the government to introduce legislation which makes the sale of energy drinks age-restricted.
What do you think?
Are government restrictions required for the sale of these energy drinks? Should parents allow their children to drink these drinks? How many energy drinks per day do you think is safe for a child? What can we do as parents to limit our children’s intake of these energy drinks? Leave me a comment and let’s get this conversation going.
That’s all for now. I hope you enjoy the update. I’ll keep you updated on this and other food related news throughout the year. Please let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to get answers for you.
Some really good observations about a very important problem. Thank you