New official calorie guidelines are to be introduced to help people better manage their weight and health in the new year.
The Public Health England campaign, which launches in March 2018, comes after it was revealed that Brits currently eat on average of 200-300 calories above the recommended amount every day.
While there is no change to the recommended daily calorie intake (2,000 per day for women and 2,500 for men), the body will advise on how to manage calorie consumption in relation to each main meal.
The OneYou campaign will recommend following the ’400-600-600′ rule: 400 calories for breakfast and 600 calories for both lunch and dinner.
This new rule of thumb hopes to help people manage their intake so they are less likely to consume above the recommended daily amount.
A PHE spokesperson said: “Our new OneYou campaign will give tips on managing calories for main meals so that by the end of the day, including snacks and drinks, total calories are closer to the guidelines.”
The spokesperson added: “Calorie guidelines have not changed – it’s still 2000 a day for women and 2500 for men. Adults consume 200-300 too many calories a day, leading to weight gain and health issues.”
The campaign is the latest bid to tackle obesity in the country.
According to Public Health England, the annual costs associated with obesity to the wider economy, NHS and social care systems are estimated to be £27 billion, £6.1 billion a year and £352 million respectively.
Furthermore, obese adults are more than five times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes treatment currently costs the NHS £9.8 billion a year, which represents around 10% of the annual NHS budget.