Nutrition should be compulsory school subject

Myprotein.co.uk sports company has written to the Government asserting that nutrition should be part of the National Curriculum, as it would have a much more real effect on life after school. There will be an estimated three million children aged 2-15 years affected by obesity to the point where it affects their health by 2010, according to figures released by the Department of Health. www.Myprotein.co.uk suggests that youths should be educated from a young age in how to make the right food choices. The company believe that nutrition should be as compulsory as Maths or English. Oliver Cookson, managing director of Myprotein.co.uk, explained his reasons for the company writing to Alan Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Health, Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and Jin Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners: "We need to take control of our own and our children's lives, and stop shifting blame to things such as the proposed 'fat gene', which surprisingly, does not rear its head in many other countries." He continued: "Children need to understand that their food choices do not just have anaesthetic impact, but can pose serious health risks, such as induced diabetes, which is responsible for 11.6% of deaths in the UK, according to Diabetes UK. "It is my belief that nutrition should be a compulsory subject, where children are taught how to enjoy a healthy, well balanced diet, informed how a poor diet can lead to ill health, and educated as to the dangers of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and over-eating."