Jamie Oliver reveals just how many sweets his kids really eat
The dad-of-4 insists he's not a sugar 'nazi' at home
He's been banging on about getting kids to eat healthily for years. First he overhauled school dinners and now he's on a mission to call for a tax on sugar products.
So does Jamie Oliver let his four children have sweets? Yes: Poppy Honey, 13, Daisy Boo, 12, Petal Blossom, 6, and Buddy Bear, 5, get 50p each to spend on sweets at the weekend. "The kids get a little bag - you don't get many sweets for 50p," he told The Sunday Times food magazine.
"I don't want to be a Nazi about it. It's about getting it right most of the time - and most is an important word."
In Jamie's recent documentary Sugar Rush he set out his mission to reduce the amount of sugar kids eat. And the 40-year-old chef urged David Cameron to be "bold and brave" about taxing sugar products.
But he says sugar is only a problem for children when it becomes "normalised".
"Sugar should be celebrated - it is a joy and a treat," he added. "It's when sugar starts infiltrating everything else, when it becomes normalised, that it's a problem."
Although they're allowed sweets on the weekend, the dad-of-4 says there "ain't no sweet, sugary drinks" in his house – instead he adds a slice of fruit to water for his kids.
Last month Jamie said the "ball is firmly in the Government's court" after a Public Health England report said a 20% tax would cut sugar intake.
"I'm excited and relieved that we finally got to see Public Health England's courageous, forward-thinking report and its excellent recommendations such as a proposed sugar levy, cutting down on the advertising of high sugar food, all of which are powerful weapons in improving our children's health," he said, reacting to the report.
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