Warning: do not show your children this article or you'll never get them to broccoli again.
A doctor has come up with a rather radical (to say the least) idea to tackle Britain's childhood obesity epidemic: give your kids biscuits!
In fact, she goes further and suggests they should be PRESCRIBED by doctors. Like kids need any more encouragement!
Dr Sarah Brewer told the Daily Mail that the NHS, including GPs, should prescribe a controversial U.S. diet comprised of eating nine biscuits a day (OK, as well as fruit and vegetables) to tackle the problem.
The diet says children can eat nine biscuits spread across the entire day, plus a 500 to 700 calorie evening meal as long as they obtain their recommended daily quota of five fruits and vegetables.
Dr Brewer believes that such radical measures are needed to tackle the alarming pattern of chronic obesity that faces British children.
She said: "The size of the UK's childhood obesity crisis is staggering and it's time for decisive action. Many different approaches have been tried but, so far, traditional approaches have failed to make an impact.
"It's time we tried a new approach, and while extreme diets should be a last resort for our children, too many British kids are already facing up to a life of medical problems and misery.
"If we can't recreate the old days of healthy eating and children playing in the great outdoors more often, we have to take a 21st century approach to a 21st century problem.
"Let's swap the unhealthy snacks kids are currently eating for a healthier version that helps them feel full yet comes in the reassuringly familiar shape of a cookie."
The cookie diet was developed in the U.S. by Dr Sanford Siegal to help combat obesity in a new way.
The biscuits he recommends contain a healthy blend of hunger-satiating amino acids derived from milk, egg white, oatmeal, rice and other grains. Made using rapeseed oil, they also provide healthy mono-unsaturated and essential fatty acids.
His approach has since become incredibly popular as a new-age diet.
According to the company: "The cookie diet's high protein, low sugar cookies are designed to fill you up without taking away your ability to enjoy the kind of snack food we all love tucking into."
Dr Brewer believes every diet option should be explored, saying: "Rather than putting children on the operating table, we should explore other weight loss options that have been shown to work in other countries."
Thoughts?!