A dietician has spoken out against the "demonisation” of cakes in the office and says everything should be "enjoyed in moderation".
Helen Bond, 49, believes no food should be "banned" after Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the Food Standards Agency, spoke personally and suggested bringing cakes into the office makes it difficult for people to avoid the sweet treats.
Although Helen disagrees with the professor's comparison of cake to smoking, she does warn against added sugars in foods such as cake.
Helen, a registered dietician based in Derbyshire said: “I don’t agree that cake should be compared to tobacco or cigarettes.
"This demonisation of one food item is not helpful.
“As a dietician I would never condemn eating cake, because I believe no food should be banned.
“Food should be celebrated and enjoyed as part of your overall diet.
“I don’t want to create a negative psychological association with one particular food group, as this can lead to distorted eating."
For Helen, balance is key.
“As a registered dietician I believe in everything in moderation," she said.
“It’s important to balance moderation, pleasure and nutrition.
“Cakes are a food many of us enjoy, but they tend to be high in calories and sugars, which is potentially not good for our overall health, particularly given we have an obesity epidemic.
“Added sugars are the types of sugar we should be reducing, with less than 30 g per day for an adult.
“It’s not good for our waistlines or dental health.
“However, I think all foods can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet. The odd piece of cake in an office environment is totally fine, just not every day and have this be considered the norm.”
Helen suggested some ways food can be incorporated in a healthier way.
Helen said :“Traditional meetings often used to have sweet treats.
"Instead we could treat them as an opportunity to have some nutrition, trying to make calories count by topping up nutrient intake.
“It doesn’t have to be cake.
“And if office workers do want cake, maybe there could be a rota so people can plan in advance to bring in homemade cakes or lower calorie alternatives or sign up with a good bakery.
“This will offer much more control over what is going into the overall cake.
“Not all cakes are created equally. Some might be full of buttercream and very high sugar, very high calorie.
“Fruit cake might be a better option, as they will have a high fruit content, with fibre for gut microbes or potassium which is good for blood pressure.
“You can definitely tweak cakes to make them healthier, by getting creative with veg cakes or traditional fruits to reduce the sugar content.”
Helen’s healthy alternatives:
- Hot cross buns
- Fruit and veg crudites with dips
- Small bites of sandwiches
- Dried fruit and nuts
