It was a great opportunity to show what is happening in NZ and how we as a nation are faring in these tricky times and what the food industry and health sector are doing to address a global issue.

Not surprisingly, but no less disappointingly the piece was fairly one dimensional and single-mindedly focused on sugar and soft drinks.  What it did highlight, once again, was the limited lens through which so many people choose to examine the link between food and health, or rather food and disease as appears to be the main focus.

While I commend Sunday for attempting to help New Zealanders think about what they choose to eat (or in this case drink), the facts do not warrant the dramatic way in which this, and many other stories are presented.

It certainly makes for good TV to show a wheelbarrow full of sugar to represent how much we each consume annually, but this is somewhat misleading.  Likewise we each consume several Olympic-sized swimming pools of water annually, which also looks frightening.  In fact on a daily basis our median intake of sucrose when last measured in 2008/09 was just 48g.  And it’s on the decline (it was 53g in 1997).

Also, only 5% of our energy (as measured in 2008/09) came from non-alcoholic beverages.  And just 1.4% of energy was contributed by the sucrose in all non-alcoholic beverages (only part of which is sugary soft drink).  The rest, presumably, is contributed by fat, lactose, fructose, glucose and protein (remembering this group includes all non-alcoholic beverages other than plain milk).  So are the other foods and drinks which contribute 98-99% of our energy intake unimportant?  I think not.

In New Zealand, our intake of sugar (and particularly sugary soft drinks) differs significantly from countries like the United States, where much of the concern about sugar intakes stems from.

I don’t wish to trivialise the issue, as clearly the above figures are population medians, and some New Zealanders do over-consume.  I would like to propose however, that these individuals are unlikely to be over-consuming on sugary soft drinks alone, and are more likely to be part of the growing number of food-illiterate people who don’t understand what over-consumption is.

To Professor Rush’s point, there is some evidence that we feel less satiated when we drink kilojoules, compared with when we eat them (because our stomachs empty more quickly), but I think the issue of satiation is far broader than just blaming drinks for our obesity problem.  More and more New Zealanders seem to have become so accustomed to constant grazing on food and drink, to the point that many do not recognise the feeling of satiation, let alone the feeling of hunger.

What drives us to this?  Economic, cultural and social issues that shape the environment we live in and the choices we make.  Recently I read some research which found that most people no longer know what a calorie/kilojoule is.  Yes, sugar and sugary drinks provide kilojoules, but so does everything we eat.  In order to improve our health as a nation, individuals need a basic understanding of their own diet and how it relates to their own health; they need tools to help them make the best choices for them individually and they need to accept some individual responsibility for what they feed themselves and their families on a daily basis.

Yes, I do provide independent nutrition advice to a range of food companies, including NZ Sugar and Coca-Cola Oceania, so you may think my opinion is biased.  As a result though, I’ve been following this issue closely and am aware of the evidence, plus lack of evidence, surrounding it.  In my experience, it’s hard to get those without a vested interest in this issue to speak up – at least in New Zealand.  My personal view is to stick to the facts, and to address all of the issues with practical solutions, rather than pinpoint one possible contributor alone.  If there was a single silver bullet to address obesity, we would have found it my now, and we’d all be an ideal BMI.

As a nutrition communicator I spend much of my time trawling the pages of PubMed, tapping away on the computer, laptop, iPhone or iPad, using social media and other electronic networks to share balanced, evidence-based food and nutrition information.  It was actually quite a relief to rest my thumbs for a few days and use my own voice and ears instead.  So much so that I now sound like a pack-a-day smoker!

Together with Sarah (a colleague from the NZ Nutrition Foundation) we presented a social media workshop for dietitians at the conference, and while we were very successful in convincing New Zealand dietitians to jump onto the blogosphere, I was surprised at how much the experience reminded me that social media is only useful in-between times of face-to-face contact.  In fact when I think about it, the dietitians I interact most with via social media networks are the ones I’ve actually met in person.

Is it a generational thing? Being someone who grew up without the internet, who can even remember what working-life was like prior to email, perhaps I’m biased?  Are you more likely to respond to questions and take part in social media discussions about professional issues when you’ve actually met the person seeking input?  I guess I’ll get my answer from your comments below…

When it comes to successfully encouraging people to make healthier beverage choices, each and every speaker stressed the importance of working with individuals, rather than making broad general recommendations such as “drink water and low fat milk”.

What people expect and need from different beverages is extremely varied, which explained to me why it’s unrealistic to expect people to switch from one set of beverages (with similar attributes) to another set of beverages (with completely different attributes in the mind of the consumer). 

For example, if you’re out for a good time with your mates you’re about as likely to order a glass of milk as you are to be wearing pyjamas.  What you want is a beverage that’s associated with socialising, not one that’s associated with, say health and nutrition.  There is a time and place for everything.

Those underlying needs associated with certain life situations don’t change, but moving to a healthier option which addresses the same underlying need within the same situation is far more likely to work.  For example in the scenario described above, recommending that people order a diet soft drink if they’re watching their calorie intake, rather than a sugar containing soft drink, might actually be likely to work.

That would be fine, were it not for another shocking fact I picked up at the same seminar: New Zealanders drink mostly tap water (nothing shocking in that), but the second most widely consumed beverage in New Zealanders (ranging from 12-69 years of age) is …wait for it….beer!  So in fact, most people in the above scenario will opt for a beer anyway!  Diet beer anyone?

This sets my mind reeling at the calories we Kiwis must consume from alcohol.  It baffles me why all dietary energy sources do not require nutrition labelling and packaged alcoholic drinks are a long overdue candidate for this. 

Thanks to the NZ Nutrition Foundation and Coca-Cola Oceania for making this event possible.  Linda and Caryn’s presentations should both be up on the Nutrition Foundation’s website shortly.

A new computer system

In principle it sounds like a great idea but on the other hand, are we not depriving them of an opportunity to use their own decision making skills, in what would surely be a somewhat controlled environment?

As with most things I guess it depends on how we put it into practice.  Food police parents are likely to be pretty vigilant at home and will aim to encourage the same at school.  Many would argue that the school cafeterias should not be offering ‘inappropriate’ food choices anyway.  But those children who want to beat the system will always find a way, whether it’s at school or elsewhere.

At the other end of the scale there are the permissive parents who, given their more relaxed attitude are probably not going to worry too much anyway – at school or home.  And somewhere in the middle – my personal favourite – one hopes that common sense prevails.

For younger children I am sure that it could be a useful tool to help them learn about making healthy food choices.  But as they get older surely we need to offer them the chance to make their own decisions?  Yes there will be some downsides but with a good foundation they will eventually realise that eating only treat foods isn’t all that fulfilling.

I often wonder if parents of children who are growing rapidly are in fact offering sufficient high energy density foods to meet their needs.  A teenage boy for example can burn twice the energy of a sedentary adult male.  A desire for high energy snacks is just as likely to be due to a genuine need for energy in some as it is due to poor decision making in others.

On the other hand we know from the national nutrition surveys that as children get older and begin to exercise more free will, the overall nutrient intake changes – and not usually for the good. In particular consumption of dairy, fruit and vegetables goes down.

So what is the best way to encourage children to choose the right food and beverages at school?  Should we not be putting our energy into making sure what is on offer is appealing, tasty and good quality – nutritionally and aesthetically?

Given the newness of this space to the business world and the rapid development of new social media platforms, the knowledge and skill level of people participating is wide and varied.  As qualified scientists, nutritionists and food industry experts we often find it challenging to accept the opinions of the new breed of influencers who are moving into this space.  But there is no question; their opinions are influential.

It’s therefore even more important to jump in and get involved.  The on-line social media universe is really only in its adolescence and we know how difficult teenagers can be to understand. But when they do grow up into more mature adults the real benefits become apparent.

There are also some new rules for interaction and for most people the best way to start out is simply to explore, participate, listen and learn.  I heard someone recently liken the rise of social media networks to the advent of the motor car.  When cars were new we all used to dress up and enjoy the journey, regardless of the destination.  Now that they’re an everyday necessity we see them as a means to an end.  So now’s the time to be enjoying your journey with social media – and you will be pleasantly surprised at what you discover.

There are endless numbers of food-lovers blogs out there.  Some of the health and nutrition related ones we monitor regularly are listed on the blogroll to the right of the page, and some good local information sites can be found amongst the links.  Please feel free to post your own favourites in the comments box.  We’re especially keen to know more about other nutrition and health blog sites from within New Zealand.