News from our partners: Give Easter eggs a break

News from our partners NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Give chocolate Easter eggs a break this Easter says NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), as it gives tips on how to avoid a sugar rush.

A small Easter egg, of between 65 to 80 grams, can contain around 40g of sugar which is equivalent to eight teaspoons of sugar. These small eggs are usually aimed at young children, whilst a large egg, weighing around 260 to 300grams, can have around 30 teaspoons of sugar.

Wendy Ballard, Dietician at the CCG, said:

“It’s surprising how much sugar is in an Easter egg, and when you consider that on average a child can receive around eight chocolate eggs of various sizes, then it is worth considering the amount of sugar they could consume over the Easter break.

“We’ve got some ideas to avoid a chocolate overload this Easter such as limiting the amount of chocolate children eat so it is spread out over the week, buying the smaller eggs or spending egg money on a small gift such as a book or magazine or some Easter craft materials, or giving children money instead to encourage saving.”

To help keep track of how much sugar is in your food when you are out shopping  download the Change4Life Free Food Scanner app at the AppStore or Google Play or check out more food details at https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/food-facts

Wendy said:

“The app is a brilliant tool to use when out and about food shopping and I would urge parents to download it, because the kids can get involved too and have lots of fun choosing products as well as learning more about the snacks that they eat. It is also a great tool for anyone looking at watching their weight as you can check the calories in your food as you put them in your shopping basket.”

The CCG is also encouraging people to make sure that any urgently needed prescriptions are up-to-date before the Easter break.

GP practices across the county will be closed on both Bank Holidays, Good Friday (19 April 2019) and Easter Monday (22 April 2019). There will be appointments under the extended hours service for pre-bookable routine GP appointments. These are booked at a patient’s local practice and the appointment will be offered at a local GP hub so patients may not see their own GP.

Pharmacies across Shropshire are also operating on a rota over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.

Full details of the pharmacy rota are available on the CCG’s web site www.shropshireccg.nhs.uk or by calling NHS 111.

NHS 111 is free to call from any landline or mobile and is open 24/7, including bank holidays. Trained advisers can help advise and direct you to the help and care you need including what to do if you need to see a doctor when your practice is closed as well as where your nearest pharmacy is.

Dr Julian Povey, Chair of Shropshire CCG, said:

“There is no need to worry if your practice is closed this Easter Bank Holiday weekend as help and advice is at your fingertips – just call 111.

“NHS 111 can give you help and advice as well as direct you to services if you can’t wait until your practice is open.”