Our neighbors across the pound are leading a new campaign to help teenagers curb their habitual consumption of sugar drinks. They have declared this month to be “Fizz Free February” after shocking statistics were released reporting a 70% increase in teenagers being diagnosed with diabetes in the U.K. in the last four years. In the United States, as of 2017, 30.1 million people are living with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, and about 193,000 people are younger than 20 years.

Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is joining forces with Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, to ask people to stop drinking fizzy drinks for the month of February. The campaign hopes to break the habitual consumption of sugary drinks particularly within young adults. 

We support Fizz Free February. At Diabetes Education Services, we created the “Joy of Six” campaign to encourage people across America to reconsider their added sugar intake.

Take the pledge to enjoy up to six teaspoons of added sugar per day and increase sugar awareness in our communities. 

 “The heaps of sugar companies are putting in their fizzy drinks are as good as poisoning our kids,” Watson said. “With scores of children suffering from tooth decay, obesity and even diabetes, we must do something to alert people to the danger of too much sugar.”

Sugar soft drinks make up for a large portion of sugar intake in a child’s diet. Not only can this cause Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity, but is known to contribute to tooth decay. 

Fizz Free February launched as a part of a wider campaign to tackle obesity. “Evidence for the damaging effects of sugar is mounting up. We’ve got to find ways to drastically reduce our consumption of sugar, and Fizz Free February is a fantastic way to start.”

Help us continue to spread awareness on this very important issue! We have many resources from our “Joy of Six” campaign for you to share with your community:

• The Joy of Six – Sugar Pledge Banner – We are happy to share our “Joy of Six” banner for you to download and share with your friends and colleagues. 
• The Joy of Six – Sugar Pledge Form, Hidden Sugar Handout, Strategies to Sidestep Sugar  – word doc. – Enjoy all of the “Joy of Six” materials in a word doc. 

We also invite you to test your sugar knowledge:

In order to make sugar awareness fun and educational, Coach Beverly has designed six sugar-related questions to test your knowledge: 

• Sugar Question #1
• Sugar Question #2
• Sugar Question #3
• Sugar Question #4
• Sugar Question #5
• SUPER SUGAR CHALLENGE
• Can You Accurately Guess How Much Sugar Is In These 9 Starbucks Drinks? – Buzzfeed

To learn more: “Consumers urged to give up sugary drinks for Fizz Free February” The Gaurdian

Other important blog posts & resources:

• Limit Diet Sodas and Drinks, Stick to Water Instead
• “Parents Aren’t Always Good Judges of Their Kids’ Sugar Intake”
• Report: Sugar-laden drink consumption on the rise among California kids