Swap while you shop: new campaign encourages families in Shropshire to make healthy swaps

Families in Shropshire are being encouraged to make some healthy swaps as part of new health campaign launched this week by Public Health England.

The new Change4Life Smart Swaps campaign supported by Shropshire Council’s public health team is encouraging families across the county to swap a few simple things to help cut sugar and fat from their everyday snacks, drinks and meals this month (January 2014). 

Families who sign up to the campaign will receive a free Smart Swapper pack full of tasty, healthier meal ideas and fun fridge magnets.  The free pack also includes money-off vouchers for sugar free drinks, as well as hundreds of offers on healthy products at national supermarkets Aldi, Lidl, Asda and Co-op.  A free Smart Recipes app is also available, giving quick, healthy recipes, which can be downloaded from iTunes and GooglePlay. 

Those who sign up to the campaign are able to choose from five simple Smart Swaps: 

• Sugary drinks to diet, sugar free or no added sugar drinks or to milk or water
• Cheese to reduced fat cheese
• Butter to lower fat butters or spreads
• Sugary cereal to low sugar cereal eg plain whole wheat cereal biscuits, plain shredded whole grain or plain porridge
• Whole milk to semi-skimmed; or semi-skimmed to 1% fat or skimmed milk. 

Although Shropshire has some of the lowest figures in obesity and excess weight in children in the West Midlands, nationally obesity is occurring at a younger age, and this is also reflected locally with more than 8% of Shropshire children obese by the time they enter reception class at school, rising to over 18% by the time they reach Year 6 (10-11 years old). 

Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health, said: 

“We are absolutely committed in promoting healthier weight and lifestyles to children and our local communities.  Being healthy and active can dramatically reduce the chances of having any health issues, now or later in life. 

“The Change4life Smart Swaps campaign is a brilliant way to introduce families to healthier ways of eating through simple and achievable steps.  January is a great time to make a healthier change to your diet, so sign up now and start enjoying the health benefits this campaign can bring.” 

Professor Rod Thomson, Shropshire Council’s director for public health, added: 

“I welcome the Change4life Smart Swaps as an additional way to help families in Shropshire to make a positive difference to their health.  Our aim is to help prevent children and adults in developing long term conditions that occur because of being over-weight, such as diabetes and heart disease.  The Smart Swaps initiative will help both children and their parents reduce their risk to these conditions. 

“Our public health programmes are designed to help families tackle such preventable and debilitating diseases through early intervention, using family-centred approaches that support healthier lifestyle behaviours.  Why not visit our Healthy Shropshire website at www.healthyshropshire.co.uk to find out what support is available in your area to help you and your family live a healthier lifestyle.” 

To sign up to the Smart Swaps campaign and obtain your free Smart Swapper pack, visit https://smartswaps.change4life.co.uk/ 

Change4life Smart Sway Campaign

• The campaign is being supported by a series of national media adverts and highlights the shocking amounts of sugar in everyday food and drinks, including 52 sugar cubes in a two-litre bottle of pop.  By swapping sugary drinks to diet, sugar free or milk, the adverts reveal an average family could save up to three quarters of a 1kg bag of sugar over four weeks. 
• While milk and dairy products are great sources of protein and calcium, families looking to make healthier choices could also swap whole milk for semi-skimmed milk, potentially saving up to a third of a pint of fat over four weeks. 

Public health programmes developed and supported by Shropshire Council’s public health team include:

• Lifestyle Inspiring Families Together (LIFT) Service, which helps children and families to achieve and maintain a healthy weight
• Eat Better Move More programme which offers information and good practice to early year settings to create innovative ways to encourage more young children to eat a healthy, balanced and nutritional diet and engage in enjoyable sports and physical activities.
• The recent Healthy Weight Partnership Event held in November highlighted to how important an issue tackling obesity in adults and children is to Shropshire Council and its partners.  The event brought together a wide range of local stakeholders to build commitment for a healthy weight strategy for Shropshire.
• Anyone in Shropshire who would like information and advice on living a healthy lifestyle can visit www.healthyshropshire.co.uk or call the Healthy Shropshire helpline on 0345 678 9025.  This number has been set up to provide a single point for people to go to for support with improving their health.   Advisers can help people looking to find out more about how they can be healthier, and prevent themselves or others from getting ill.