You may have noticed a food stall giving out 'free scoops' in Glasgow over the weekend... but it was not ice cream.
As part of their new campaign, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) were handing out scoops of broccoli in St Enoch Centre to promote a healthier lifestyle.
The campaign comes after a survey that revealed that 88% of adults say they understand that an unhealthy diet can lead to poor health - despite Scotland's poor diet overall.
Research also shows the average daily intake of fruit and veg in Scotland is only 2.9 portions, compared to the recommended 5 a day.
To tackle this issue, FSS has devised a new online diet guide called Eat Well Your Way that offers easy-to-follow advice and tips for shopping for healthy food on a budget.
Dr Gillian Purdon, Head of Nutrition at FSS, said: “Eat Well, Your Way encourages people to make small, manageable changes to their diet, in ways that suit them.
“This is a new resource that focuses on practical advice on how to adopt healthier options. It is designed so that people can find inspiration and make changes that suit their circumstances, as we know that making lots of changes at once isn’t always sustainable.
"This guide offers a realistic way to help people work towards new healthier food goals.”
A new FSS report, due to be published in the coming weeks, will shed light on the impact lockdown and the Covid pandemic has had on Scotland’s diet.
'Discretionary' food such as sweets, chocolate, cakes, crisps and sugary drinks made up a quarter of all food and drink brought into homes in 2020, and this is something Dr Purdon hopes to see change.
She added: "We have known for a long time that improving dietary health in Scotland represents a huge challenge and the pandemic brought into focus how this can make us susceptible to serious disease.
“Discretionary foods continue to represent far too high a proportion of our shopping baskets, and purchases on promotion continue to be skewed towards these products.
"It’s important to highlight, however, that this campaign is not a move away from the Eatwell Guide but a realistic way to help people make healthier food and drink choices.”
More information about Eat Well Your Way can be found HERE.
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