This article is about hidden sugars. It’s easy to be aware of how much sugar you add to your coffee or how many chocolate chip cookies you eat, but the amount of sugar in savoury foods can be unexpected. When preparing homemade meals we do not tend to add sugar to savoury food, whereas the same dishes when commercially-prepared often contain added sugar. Look on the labels of processed food and ready meals for the sugar content, which can be surprisingly high.

A desire for sweetness is addictive. Artificial sweeteners and zero calorie drinks can make it harder to change. If we keep eating or drinking sweet things, whether that’s from actual sugar or artificial sweeteners, we will continue to crave sweetness. There is often an emphasis on calories when trying to reduce sugar in the diet, with many zero calorie drinks on the market. I believe that a more relevant thing to consider is the power of sweeteners and sweet-tasting drinks to perpetuate a desire for sugary things!

I am prepared to make an effort to keep myself healthy now because independence in old age is important to me. I don’t want to be dependent on others for my basic needs, I want to be active and to go out and about, to enjoy activities that maybe I didn’t have time for previously. Of course misfortunes can befall any of us, but I want to try to avoid chronic aches and pains which are so often thought of as inevitable when we get older. These things mean a lot to me, and I firmly believe that it’s never too late to make positive changes for our health. I’m going to take this as a wake-up call to step up my game!

Lactose intolerance and a dairy-free diet have become commonly mentioned terms in recent years but were practically unheard of in days gone by, for example during the 1950s and 60s when every school child was given a small bottle of milk each day for strong bones and teeth. Whilst there may be many reasons for people to stop consuming dairy products, whether it be due to intolerance or dietary preferences, such as wishing to become vegan and abstain from all animal produce, the question remains as to how they will obtain their dietary calcium if not from this generally easily-available source.