BANT (British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine) would like to offer their support to the government in tackling childhood obesity. The Local Government Association analysed Public Health England figures and found 1 in 25 children are classed as severely obese.

Whilst there are initiatives by the government to tackle childhood obesity are in place, such as the sugar tax on sugary soft drinks, more can be done such as banning junk food adverts and educating children in primary school of the importance of a healthy diet. Our children are growing up bombarded with advertisements promoting poor food choices. Home economics classes, once a permanent feature on a school time table, have disappeared. Lack of education will simply turn the obese children of today into the obese adults of tomorrow which in turn will create health problems and put more strain on the NHS.

BANT Registered Nutrition Practitioners are regulated by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) that holds an Accredited Voluntary Register (AVR) for the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA). A recent report by the Royal Society for Public Health and the Professional Standards Agency made a key recommendation that AVR practitioners have the authority to make direct NHS referrals, in appropriate cases, to ease the administrative burden on GP surgeries.

As members of the CNHC Accredited Register, BANT Registered Nutrition Practitioners and other CNHC registrants, are the key workforce asset to harness 21st century lifestyle medicine to tackle the rising tide of stress related fatigue, obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, dementia and other chronic diseases.

To find a BANT practitioner, please click here