Breakfast is the most important meal of the day:it must be complete not only to compensate for the natural fasting period that is the night, but also to replenish energy before the next midday meal. However, 'full' doesn't necessarily mean 'heavy' or 'fat', and it seems that some UK-based coffee chains don't (or pretend not to) get the nuance. Very popular brands across the Channel such as Costa, Pret A Manger and Caffé Nero are currently under fire for systematically offering sweets with misleading names to customers who order hot drinks. This was the conclusion made at the annual conference of Public Health England, an executive agency of the United Kingdom's Department of Health and Social Care, at the University of Warwick, east from England. Nutritionist Alison Tedstone has indeed pointed out that coffee chains use “appealing” and sometimes even healthy food names for pastries that can contain up to 400 calories. "If the muffin has a cute name that implies it's nice to eat on the go, it's not considered the same as you would consider a burger. […] This is the problem. All these little snacks to eat on the go encourage you to buy a little more each time. Coffee chains have publicly pledged to reduce sugar and now they need to go further. More action needed to reduce obesity “, explains the health professional to the site The Independent .
Indeed, obesity is a real problem for our British neighbors:some 5 million people will be diagnosed with morbid obesity within the next 20 years. The national health system, the NHS, recommends not exceeding 30g of sugar per day, but an order of sugar in a cafe is worth that alone. And it's not just snacks that you have to be careful about, drinks can also be high in calories because of syrups and other toppings that you can add at your convenience (Starbucks drinks can contain up to 25 scoops of sugar… It’s scary!). Dr. Tedstone would like the caloric intake of the delicacies offered to be displayed so that the consumer can have a clear idea of what he is ingesting. “Buying a pastry or a muffin with your coffee means consuming extra hidden calories because the coffees do not mention their nutritional value “, she continues. Remember that overconsumption of sugar can lead to heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers, according to the most recent studies (moreover, we tell you here how to know that you are consuming too much). So we keep a light hand on the little sweets and opt instead for healthy alternatives such as rusks and fruit!
